Song As Old As Rhyme
by INeverExplainAnything
Summary: As the years passed, the house fell into despair and everyone lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast? [On Hold]
1. Grüß Gott!

Chapter One: Grüß Gott!

Hurrying down the narrow stairs just outside Nonnberg Abbey, Maria held tightly onto the book tucked away under her apron with one hand, while the other hand tried to make sure her wimple didn't come flying off as she hurried down the stairs.

She knew she had a good few hours before she'd need to be back - plenty of time to return her book and even make a trip to her mountain. Peering up at the Untersberg, she smiled hugely to herself and quickened her pace as she walked through the cobbled streets. A few soft wisps of clouds floated aimlessly over the impossibly blue sky as Maria headed for the tiny bookshop that sat huddled between a pastry shop and music store. Oh, it was such a lovely day! The day had only just begun and the streets were already filled with people. She passed by the baker as he placed fresh loaves of bread out.

"Grüß Gott!" he called cheerfully.

Maria smiled but kept her pace as she waved back. "Grüß Gott!"

Maria heard the happy tinkle of the shop bell as she pushed through the bookshop door and looked around as she tried to regain her breath. A small, elderly man with twinkling eyes and a large smile greeted her as she breezed in.

"Ah, Maria!"

"Grüß Gott, Herr Schreiber!"

The old bookshop owner gave Maria a warm smile as he began to put away a stack of books. "Escape over the convent wall again did we?"

Maria shook her head ruefully. "No! The gates were open today."

Herr Schreiber chuckled. "Well, I don't want any nuns coming in here like last time, that Sister Berthe makes me feel like I'm knee-pants all over again." He shuddered slightly and placed a book back in the shelf, giving the spine a little pat as he did.

"I am sorry about that, Herr Schreiber," Maria said earnestly. "But I just had to know what happened next!"

Walking down the narrow row of books, Maria let her fingers trail over the shabby spines. Coming to the end of the short aisle, she hopped up onto the old ladder and searched some of the higher shelves.

"Only you would escape over the wall of Nonnberg Abbey so you could read the next chapter of a fairy tale."

"I couldn't put it down!" Maria called out over her shoulder. "Have you got anything new?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Hmm," Maria pushed off from the wall, the wheels of the ladder clacking loudly as it rolled across. "That's all right." She scanned the books until she found the one she wanted and flourished it happily. "I'll take this one!"

"That one?" asked Herr Schreiber as Maria jumped down the ladder. "But you've read it twice!"

"It's my favourite!" Maria said happily, flicking through the worn pages. "Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!"

The bookkeeper gave her another warm smile. "Well, if you like it that much, it's yours."

"But, sir!" Maria protested. "I couldn't keep it! We aren't allowed any personal possessions at the abbey."

Herr Schreiber gave a sad little nod. "Ah, of course. Well, you are free to borrow it for as long as you wish, Maria."

It never ceased to baffle him that this strange girl was a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey. If he had met Maria Rainer on the street, he would have assumed she was a kindergarten teacher or a hopeful musician – not a nun in training. Which is what he had assumed the first time she came waltzing into his store with a cheerfully determined glint in her eye. He had enjoyed conversing with the strange girl before she had informed him that she was a postulant at the strict convent that sat at the top of the town. Apparently, she had already managed to lose her wimple (it was floating down a stream somewhere), which was why her long golden hair was free to curl about her face. The next time he'd seen her, the curls had been cut – a lesson from one of the nuns, but the cheerfully odd girl was still the same.

He just couldn't picture this lively girl standing at the front of a classroom while addressing rows of solemn faced children in the strict school attached to the abbey. Nor walking reverently through the hallowed halls with the other sombre faced nuns. It was so much easier to imagine her sprawled out in the grass teaching children how to paint a rainbow or showing them how to ride a bike. He shook his head - it wasn't his business. As long as Sister Berthe never came into his shop again, he didn't mind.

"Thank you, thank you very much," Maria was saying as she walked to the door, the shop bell jingling as she opened it. She looked down at the book in her hand and then smiled warmly back up at Herr Schreiber. "Your library makes our small corner of the world feel big."

"Auf Wiedersehen, Maria," said Herr Schreiber, waving as she walked out.

"Bye!" Maria replied, trying to straighten her wimple as she headed towards to the cable-car, her book tucked safely underneath her apron.

Navigating her way through the streets, Maria smiled to herself. It had been so kind of Herr Schreiber to say she could have the book – even though she couldn't keep it. She would just have the book on loan. Yes, on loan. So, _technically_ , she didn't own it and could return it when she was done. Weaving through the crowded streets Maria couldn't help but hear a few phrases clearly aimed her way.

 _"That girl is strange, no question."_

" _Dazed and distracted."_

" _She's rather odd."_

 _"She really is a funny girl."_

Ignoring them, she continued through the crowd until it started to thin out as she reached the cable-car that'd take her up the mountain. She jumped on and hastily took a seat by the window. Across from her was a group of mothers, each one holding onto their child's hand. One of the kids, a little girl, was staring owlishly at Maria. She smiled warmly back at the girl and gave a small wave before opening her book.

"Mummy," she heard the girl ask, "What is that lady wearing?"

"A wimple, Hannah," replied the girl's mother, glancing briefly in Maria's direction. "She's a nun."

"Oh."

"At least, she is _supposed_ to be."

Ducking her head, Maria returned her attention to her book, but she could still feel everyone staring at her. It was like they had never seen a nun before! Well, all right, she thought, she wasn't a nun yet – but she very nearly was. And what was so strange about an _almost_ nun wanting to read a book or visit a mountain? Honestly.

She was used to it, the whispered remarks anytime she went into town – and Maria was always making an effort to go into town, even for just a small errand. Usually, it didn't bother her but sometimes it was hard to ignore some of the comments. And it wasn't just the people in town she'd heard talk about her before. She'd heard plenty of other postulants, even some of the nuns, talking about her. There was the occasional "funny girl" and "clown". Sister Berthe was always saying she was far too impulsive and outspoken. It made her feel incredibly lonely sometimes. She loved her home at the abbey, but for once it would be nice to have someone understand.

Her books had always been her escape, before she had her mountain. The home she had had before the abbey was certainly no real home – it was just where she lived. Orphaned at seven and sent to live with her mother's brother and his wife, Maria hadn't had the best childhood. Her aunt and uncle had been uncaring and neglectful. She'd felt like Cinderella, except there was no fairy godmother or handsome prince to save her. So Maria had become her own princess and rescued herself. Tired of trying to escape her uncle's violent hand after he'd been drinking or her aunt's cruel tongue, she had left the horrible farm and gotten as far away as she could. The abbey had welcomed her and kept her safe.

Sighing, she slumped in her seat, letting the book close in her lap as she stared out the window. She'd feel better when she reached the mountain. Her lips quirked back into a smile as she watched the soft clouds roll by. It really was such a beautiful day.

* * *

 _Seven children! Seven!_

Maria stared at her worn carpetbag. She'd packed all her earthly possessions, which wasn't much, along with a few (well, more than a few) borrowed books from Herr Schreiber and placed her guitar into its worn case. Now, she was patiently waiting for Sister Margaretta to return with some clothing for her to wear. Sitting on her bed, she looked idly around the room she shared with three other girls. It was large and only filled with the bare basics: four small beds, a few worn chairs, a couple of old side-tables, two large desks and one massive table that sat near an old fireplace. While it was only a simple room, it was hers. This was _her_ home after all. She didn't want to go to some strange house where a mean, red-faced sea captain lived with his seven children.

 _But_ , a little voice whispered in her head, _don't you want adventure? Don't you_ want _to be out in great wide somewhere?_

She did. However, she also wanted to serve God - so much. Possibly, she could have her adventure - out there with seven children and a sea captain, and then after she'd be ready to take her vows. Maybe that's what the Reverend Mother had been talking about? And if this was God's will, Maria was going to do it wholeheartedly – just like she had told the Reverend Mother. She would show everyone that she could do this.

"Here you are, Maria," came the voice of Sister Margaretta, interrupting her thoughts.

Maria stood and took the small pile of clothing from the Sister and walked towards a corner of the room where a curtain was drawn, serving as a small change room.

"Sister," Maria said carefully, pausing by the curtain, "Do you think I'm odd?"

Sister Margaretta's eyebrows knitted in surprise. "Odd? She gave Maria an awkward smile. "Where did you get an idea like that?"

Sister Margaretta hoped that Maria hadn't heard her and her fellow Sisters arguing about the poor girl. They should not have been discussing her in such an open space, she told herself. Margaretta was very fond of Maria, and while she was a bit of a black sheep, she knew she always meant well. It was just so nice to have someone so free spirited around the place.

Maria shrugged. "I don't know." She walked behind the curtain and started changing. "People talk."

"This is a small town, you know," Sister Margaretta said gently. "And I'm afraid to say, small-minded as well." She passed Maria a jacket through the curtain. "But small also means safe – you will be just fine in Aigen, Maria."

Letting out a puff of air, Maria finished buttoning the dress and shrugged awkwardly into the jacket, which was at least two sizes too small. Maria knew Margaretta was just trying to be kind, the Mistress of Postulants had always been patient with her, and had certainly helped her out of a few sticky situations before. But still, Maria felt like there was just something missing. She held firmly onto her belief that taking her vows would solve her problem. Pushing those thoughts aside, Maria walked out from the curtain and tried to ignore the way the dress itched.

Placing a wide brimmed hat on Maria's head, Sister Margaretta stood back and beamed. "Lovely. Very elegant."

Maria looked down, which caused the hat to fall over her eyes. She was sure she looked anything but elegant in the oversized grey dress and ill-fitting jacket. No wonder the poor didn't want this dress, she shifted uncomfortably; it was itchy _and_ ugly. She pushed the hat back up and returned to her bed where her guitar and bag were sitting.

"Now, remember, Maria, on your day off you are to come visit us and remember what the doctor said about getting enough sleep and exercise."

Maria perked up at that. She was always getting awful headaches being stuck inside all the time and so the local doctor had advised Maria to take walks – maybe not the kind of walks that Maria was inclined to take but still, he hadn't said she _couldn't_ go up the mountain.

"But moderate! Not too much," Sister Margaretta continued, as if reading Maria's mind. "And always remember that your home and place is here at Nonnberg, even though you will you be out in the world." She looked pointedly at Maria's bag, knowing it was full of books. "You are just loaned, like one your books."

Maria nodded dutifully and the hat promptly fell over her eyes again.

* * *

A/N Hello! Welcome to my new story, which in case you can't tell already, is a mash up of _The Sound of Music_ and _Beauty and the Beast._ This will not involve any magic and I will be using both the 1991 animated classic and the 2017 live adaption for the story.

Because this story is based on a fairy tale, it may be a little over the top at times but I am going to do my best to try and keep the characters as respectable as possible (though, I cannot guarantee Max will be respectable, but that's why we love him.)

A big thank you to lemacd for her help

I do not own anything. Some lines taken from Maria's book as well.


	2. Be Our Guest

Chapter Two: Be Our Guest

The house – well, not a house, it was more a mansion, Maria decided as she peered through the iron gate. You couldn't call such a thing a house. It was bigger than any home she'd ever seen before. And with it's cheerful yellow exterior and ornate fountain that sat in the middle of the circular gravel driveway it looked like something out of one of her books. Maria knew that Aigen was where most of the wealthier people lived, and of course she knew that this Captain von Whatever was rich. But knowing something was a lot different to seeing something.

She wasn't sure what exactly she'd been expecting – maybe a massive, gothic ship that was just docked on the lake? As ridiculous as that was, it was probably closer to what she had anticipated. Taking a steadying breath, she pulled on the heavy gate and walked across the gravel towards the front door to ring the bell. She pulled the note out that Sister Margaretta had given her and looked at the slightly crumpled paper.

 _Captain Georg von Trapp  
_ _Villa Trapp  
_ _Aigen bei Salzburg_

Von Trapp, that was it. Maria pushed her hat off her face as it fell down for the millionth time just as a tall, dark haired man with an impossible air about him opened the door. This must be the Captain, Maria assumed.

"Hello, Captain!" Maria said cheerfully. "I'm the new governess."

The man gave her an odd look and said in a sombre tone of voice, "And I'm the old butler, Fraulein."

"Oh," Maria replied, as she was lead inside.

She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes took in the grand foyer. There were huge chandeliers hanging from the intricately carved ceiling and all the furniture was upholstered in shades of sunshine yellow. It looked like this home belonged to some aging duchess, not a sea captain, and she half expected a fluffy dog to trot across the marbled floors and yip excitedly. Where were the all the statues of ships and mermaids? And there should be a swordfish hanging on the wall, Maria thought. And cutlasses. And anchors. The walls should be navy or dark green. Not yellow. This was not right. It went against every story she'd ever read.

The butler had left her and she placed her guitar and bag down so she could look around. She had never been in such a grand home before and she was intrigued to see more of the place. Maybe it was all for show and there was some hidden room somewhere filled with treasure and trinkets? Maria cautiously pushed open the door to one room and found herself in a dark ballroom. The chandeliers and furniture were covered with sheets and the dust on the floor was at least an inch thick. But it was still utterly magical. Unable to help herself, she curtsied to an invisible partner and pretended to flutter a fan. She could imagine it being filled with people, the ladies all dressed in gowns made of silk as impossibly handsome man in finely tailored suits twirled them about the room. She hummed a few notes of a waltz as she danced about the room.

There was a loud bang as the doors flew open and the figure of a tall man was outlined in the doorway. His authoritative posture clearly told her without words for her to leave the room and she hurried back into the foyer and turned to face him.

"In the future, you'll kindly remember there are certain rooms in this house which are not be disturbed," said the man in polished, clipped words.

Unable to help herself, she stared. Now, _this_ must be the Captain.

"Yes, Captain, sir," Maria said.

Maria watched as he closed the door and she couldn't help but continue to stare at him once he faced her once more. With his bespoke suit, neatly combed hair, patrician features and cultured voice, he didn't look anything at all like the mean sea captain of her imagination. He didn't even have a hat.

"And why do you stare at me that way?" the Captain questioned, his voice sharp.

"Well," Maria said with a relieved sigh, "you don't look at all like a sea captain, sir"

"I'm afraid you don't look very much like a governess," he retorted.

* * *

He was mad – no, Georg wasn't mad, he was seething with irritation and fury. The governess – if one could even call her such a thing – had completely ignored everything he had said and now she was late for dinner. This Fraulein Whatshername had dismissed his carefully constructed orders, embarrassed him in front of his children and had had the cheek to tease him. Georg could still picture the impish gleam in her eyes and smile that tugged at her lips when she had blown the whistle at him. The nerve!

And here he sat with his children, patiently waiting for this girl to arrive for dinner. He had asked the Reverend Mother of Nonnberg Abbey for a faithful and dedicated person whom he could trust to look after and instruct his children. Not some slip of girl who looked, and acted, as if she was in dire need of a governess herself. She clearly lacked any discipline, had no use for any manners and was devoid of any respect for him whatsoever. Georg drummed his fingers on top of the table and cast a stern glance towards Kurt as he heard his son whisper to Louisa that he was starving.

"Just serve the food, Franz," Georg snapped, tired of waiting after another ten minutes of tense silence.

He caught the small smirk on Louisa's face that she sent in Liesl's direction a moment later. In the back of his mind, he dimly wondered whether the children had done something to the little would-be-nun. Maybe she was tied around a tree somewhere, he couldn't help but smile at the thought. Serves her right.

The stony silence of the meal was interrupted when Franz re-entered the room.

"A telegram for you, sir."

Taking the paper from his butler, he cast a quick glance at the contents and saw it was from Elsa.

"Franz? Who delivered it?" he heard Liesl ask.

"That young lad Rolf, of course."

Georg looked back town at the note. Elsa had been insisting on being brought back to Aigen for months now. He knew why of course, she was expecting marriage. Hell, everyone in Austria was expecting the marriage between him and Baroness Elsa Schraeder. Part of him, the part that he kept buried deep within – or more accurately, kept locked away in the attic where the memory of his wife was hidden away, couldn't bear the thought of marrying again unless it was for love. And he knew that would never happen. While he was fond of Elsa, and she had been a great comfort during his darker times, there was no love there.

He was faintly aware of Liesl asking him something and he just grunted in response, still too lost in his own thoughts. Maybe it was time to bring her here. What good would anymore waiting do?

On the numerous occasions that he had visited Elsa in her home, he had met her mother. And she had asked him why he had not just sent his children to boarding school and save on the trouble of hiring governess after governess. He had always been against the idea, knowing Agathe would be appalled with him if he sent their children to boarding school – a place he had detested as a child himself. But he had tried, for her, how he had tried. And now he was clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel if all he could manage to hire was some odd child with a strange haircut and the ugliest dress he had ever seen. Maybe it was time to move forward.

"Children, in the morning I shall be going to Vienna," he announced and was immediately met with protests from the children. Silencing them all with a hard stare, they ceased.

"How long will you be gone this time, Father?" little Gretl asked.

"I'm not sure, Gretl," he said, avoiding looking any of the children in the eye.

"To visit Baroness Schraeder again?" asked Louisa and Georg heard the underlying question in her voice.

"Mind your own business!" interjected Friedrich.

"As a matter of fact, yes, Louisa," Georg said, taking a sip of wine.

"Why can't we ever see the Baroness?" asked Marta, peering up at him.

"Why would she want to see you?" mocked Kurt.

"You _are_ going to see the Baroness," Georg said, speaking over the rest of the children's outbursts. "I'm bringing her back with me to visit." He took another sip of wine. "And Uncle Max."

There were delighted cries at that which Georg hurriedly silenced with another quelling look. They were all disturbed by a sudden flurry of activity as the governess came hurrying in. He saw she had changed out of the ugly grey dress and was now wearing what must surely be her habit with a striped apron thrown over the top.

"I'm so sorry!" Maria said, rushing in and moving to her seat.

"It appears that being on time is something else lacking in your repertoire, Fraulein," said Georg with a scathing smile aimed her way.

Maria's face flushed and she hastily moved to sit down on her chair but shot up immediately as something sharp poked her. She looked down and saw a pinecone resting on her chair, and as she glanced around at the children she watched as they all carefully avoided her eye.

She had just spent the best part of her afternoon trying to recover her stolen items - the children had taken her hat and shoes and hidden them away. Her hat had been placed on a large and angry pig on the farm attached to the property and her shoes had been tied by the laces and flung up high into a large oak tree by the lake. After wrestling with the pig and climbing the tree, her dress had been dirtied incredibly so and she had had to shower and change into her postulant habit.

"Enchanting little ritual," she heard the Captain say as she deftly brushed the pinecone away and took a seat. "Something you, ah, learned at the abbey?"

"Um," Maria said, with another brief glance at the children. "No, it's, uh… rheumatism."

There was a heavy silence and Maria watched as they all continued to finish eating their dessert. Clearing her throat, she spoke again.

"I'd like to thank you all," Maria said, looking around at the children. "For the precious gift you left in my pocket earlier today. And helping me unpack my things."

"What gift?" asked the Captain.

Maria looked at him across the table; his features furrowed into an irritated scowl with his fork halfway to his lips.

"It's a secret between the children and me," Maria replied with a small smile. If she was to get anywhere with these children, then she certainly was not going to tell on them to their father. Besides, she needed to prove to the Reverend Mother she could do this.

How would it look if she was sent home without even making it one day like the governess before her?

"Then I suggest you keep it, and let us finish eating," the Captain retorted sharply, stabbing his fork into his cake with unnecessary force.

"Knowing how nervous I must have been, a stranger in a new household," Maria continued. "Knowing how important it was for me to feel accepted it was so kind and thoughtful of you to make my first moments here…" She paused and gave them all a large smile. "So warm and happy… and pleasant."

Maria noted how all the children were staring hard at their piece of cake, all of them having ceased eating. There was the sound of crying and Maria saw that one of the younger girls, Marta, had started to cry softly into her dessert.

There was an exasperated sound from the Captain as he put his fork down. "What is the matter, Marta?"

"Nothing," whispered the little girl as the rest of the children started to cry.

It was then that Maria realised that the eldest von Trapp was missing. She hadn't seen her when she'd come downstairs and she wondered where the girl had gone.

"Fraulein," Georg said, as the sounds of his children crying grew louder. "Is it be at every meal, or merely dinnertime, that you intend leading us through this rare and wonderful new world of indigestion?"

"Oh, they're all right, Captain. They're just happy," Maria said cheerfully.

It was then that the butler came in and cleared the plates, and then a moment later the housekeeper came in.

"Oh, there you are, Fraulein Maria," said the housekeeper before she turned to the Captain. "Captain, would you like me to fetch Fraulein Maria her dinner?"

Georg threw his napkin down on the table. "No. She was late and we are finished." If this girl couldn't manage to arrive on time for a meal then she can miss out, Georg thought angrily.

Maria felt her mouth drop open. He wasn't going to let her eat? She felt her stomach rumble in protest.

"But, sir, it's no trouble to fetch her something," said the housekeeper gently.

"No," repeated the Captain. "If she doesn't eat with us then she doesn't eat at all." He stood up and raised an eyebrow at Maria. "Maybe you will learn to be on time, Fraulein. I also expect bedtime to be strictly observed in this house. Can you manage that, I wonder?"

Maria opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off before she had the chance.

"I am returning to Vienna tomorrow morning," he said. "Instructions will be left with Frau Schmidt and I expect you to follow them."

And then the Captain turned on his heel and marched out of the room.

* * *

It was an hour later when Frau Schmidt was in the kitchen, preparing a tray of food to take up to the new governess. She knew the Captain could be cruel, harsh and all together unpleasant. But she knew it wasn't really him. The boy she'd known had grown up to be a caring and considerate man, and underneath the horrible persona he'd crafted out of grief she firmly believed that man was still there.

"What are you doing?" came the voice of Franz as she placed a drink on the tray.

Frau Schmidt turned and gave the butler a withering look. "I'm taking Fraulein Maria some food."

"No, you don't!" hissed Franz, walking over to her. "If the Captain finds out you violated his orders and fed her, he'll blame me!"

"Oh, hush," muttered Frau Schmidt, giving Franz another dissecting look. "Did you see the way she stood up to him? None of the others have done that before. She wasn't frightened of him."

Franz sighed. "Mathilde, she's just a girl. He'll eventually scare her away like he does all the others - or the children will. It's pointless."

She shook her head. "No, Franz. I am not giving up. We have done too much of that already." She gave him a small smile. "And I know you care, no matter how much you pretend."

"Fine," said Franz with a resigned wave of his hands. "She can have a glass of water, crust of bread, and then-"

"Franz," Mathilde interrupted, "She's not our prisoner – we are not _actually_ on a warship despite all appearances. If we want her to stay we are to make sure she feels welcome. She's our guest."

"She's the _governess_."

Mathilde just continued to prepare the tray of food and ignore Franz's resigned sigh as she headed out of the kitchen and towards the governess's room.

The rest of the household staff made sure to keep out of the Captain's way, obeying his orders without question. It was easier. But it was wrong. Mathilde, and Franz, had seen governess after governess come and go. Over the years, it had been them that dealt with the Captain and the children the most. Seeing the tears and the anguished faces. Hearing the angry shouts and shrill whistle. Enough was enough.

She had reached the door to the governess's room and knocked politely on the door before entering. The girl turned away from one of the large windows and gave Mathilde a large smile.

"Here you are, you'll feel better after some dinner," said Frau Schmidt gently, placing the tray on a small writing desk.

Maria looked at the plate. "But he said, 'If she doesn't eat with us then she doesn't eat at all.'"

"Mmm, people say a lot things in anger," said Frau Schmidt, giving Maria a warm smile. "It is our choice whether or not to listen."

Maria smiled back at the housekeeper and sat down at the desk, eager to eat the food that sat there.

"I'll be back in one moment, dear," she heard the housekeeper say before the door shut.

Busying herself with her dinner, Maria reflected on her first day. It had been awful, that was for sure. But at least nothing had been set on fire and she still had all her bones in tact. So that was always something. But it was clear these children did not want a governess. And it was also clear that their father had no interest in them whatsoever. Which greatly infuriated Maria. How could a father leave his children alone with a perfect stranger?

"Here you are, dear," came the voice of Frau Schmidt as she re-entered the room.

Maria turned in her seat and saw the woman holding a few different coloured fabrics in her arms.

"The Captain had these sent from town," she said, placing them on her bed. "For your new dresses."

"Thank you," said Maria, she paused and then added, "Do you think the Captain would get me some more material if I asked?"

Frau Schmidt gave Maria a puzzled look. "How many dresses does a governess need?"

"Oh, not for me," said Maria. "For the children. I could make them some play clothes."

The housekeeper sighed and sat on the edge of Maria's bed. "The von Trapp children do not play. They march."

"But that's so wrong," Maria said, getting out of the chair to sit next to the older woman. "They're children. They should be playing."

"It's the rules," said Frau Schmidt.

"Rules can be broken," Maria said, "Especially if they are ridiculous. You can't agree with the way the Captain runs things, surely?"

The housekeeper hesitated. While she had only just met Fraulein Maria, there was something about the girl that had just made Mathilde instantly warm to her. After helping Fraulein Maria back inside once she had rescued her hat and shoes, the girl had firmly insisted on not telling the Captain what the children had done. Which was a surprise - and a first. Every other governess had run screaming to the Captain, telling him what horrible children he had and demanding immediate payment before fleeing.

"The Captain…" Mathilde hesitated. "The Captain has been through a lot and it's just the way things are run."

"Why do you care about him so much?" Maria asked before she could stop herself. "Sorry, I really should think before I speak."

Frau Schmidt sighed. "It's all right, dear. The truth is I've looked after him all his life."

Maria frowned. This house was clearly suffering. And suffering because one man couldn't let go of his wife. It was like the house was cursed with his grief. All his children wanted was for him to be home and all his staff wanted was for him to be happy - despite the fact that he treated them like they were nothing more than animals. Something to be whistled for. Maria couldn't understand how so much hope and love endured in this place full of sorrow.

After dinner, Frau Schmidt had been kind enough to help Maria put the children to bed – after much protest from the children. But a stern warning from the housekeeper that their father wouldn't be happy had quietened their arguing. Though, Maria had heard the whispered questions from sibling to sibling, asking why their father was leaving _again_. And why couldn't the Baroness just come here now? Why did he have to leave and get her?

The two youngest had been easier to put to bed then the others. Gretl, who earlier had proclaimed a liking to Maria, had been ecstatic when Maria had opened a book in the nursery and read it to her and Marta. The eldest, Liesl, was still missing and upon questioning it was clear the children were not going to tell Maria. She hoped she was safe wherever she was, and she had been tempted to go and ask the Captain. But what if this just lead to more of his wrath aimed at his own children? So, Maria had held her tongue.

"He takes his grief out on all of you," Maria said, returning from her thoughts. "It's not fair. You did nothing."

The housekeeper gave Maria a sad smile. "You're right there, dear." She stood and walked over towards the window. "You see, when the Captain lost his wife he shut himself away. Locked her memory away. He runs this house as if he is on one of his ships. Whistles, orders." She turned to face Maria again. "No more music, no more laughing. Nothing that reminds him of her. Even the children." Frau Schmidt looked down and sighed. "And I did nothing to stop it."

Maria felt her heart ache for the woman, and for the children – and even for the Captain. It was obvious the loss of his wife had affected him greatly, but it was no excuse to take it out on his children and staff. Especially not this kind old woman who clearly cared for all the von Trapp children and their formidable father.

"What will happen if the children don't behave?" Maria asked.

The housekeeper let out a sigh and turned to face Maria. "I know I do not know you very well, and I really shouldn't be telling you this, but you seem like such a nice young lady." She gave Maria a small smile. "I'm afraid that the Captain may send them to boarding school. Sell the house."

Maria felt her heart sink.

"I want to help," she said earnestly. "I really do."

"Thank you, dear," said Frau Schmidt. "Those children just need their father. And…" she trailed off and wrung her hands briefly. "The Captain's thinking seriously of marrying the Baroness before the summer's over."

"That's wonderful then," Maria said. "The children will have a mother again. Then he won't leave."

The housekeeper gave a small shrug and said, "Maybe." She gave Maria another kind smile. "Now, goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, Frau Schmidt."

* * *

 **A/N** This is mostly another setup chapter with a lot of scenes from the movie. I cut most of them out since we all know how they go. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, especially guests. Reviews are greatly appreciated and mean a lot :)


	3. Tall, Dark, Strong and Handsome Brute

Chapter Three: Tall, Dark, Strong and Handsome Brute

After her horrible first encounter with the Captain, and then the disastrous dinner incident, Maria had believed that it couldn't really get any worse.

She'd been wrong.

At first things had been going well – more than well! There had been a storm raging outside and while Maria was praying the eldest von Trapp had snuck through her window. While most of Maria's knowledge came from books she knew enough from real life to know that Liesl certainly had not been wandering around the grounds of the villa on her own. And while the girl hadn't told her whom she had been with, Maria had a distinct feeling that they were a 'he'. She'd been intent on discussing it with the girl until the youngest, Gretl, had come flying into the room and straight into Maria's arms. Then it hadn't been too long until all the von Trapp children were sitting on her bed listening as she sung her song about her favourite things – a song that she sung to herself when she felt sad or scared.

So, yes, things had been going very well. That is until the Captain had found them all and the children had been sent scurrying back to their rooms. He'd refused to let Maria make the children play clothes and had had no sympathy whatsoever for his children who were clearly frightened of the storm. It had astounded Maria that the children had come to her. But after seeing the lack of feeling the Captain displayed towards his own children, Maria didn't blame them. It broke her heart that these children, while not technically orphans, may as well be. The man was clearly a beast with no feelings whatsoever and it had made Maria irrationally angry.

But then things had progressed since then, on her second day Maria had helped the children ready for the day before heading into the schoolroom. While the frog in her desk draw had been a surprise, it had certainly surprised the children more when she picked it up and sat it on the desk and began to ask them what they knew about the happy little amphibian. Louisa, who had been the one to capture it, had been delighted to share what she knew about their little green friend. Maria's first night at the von Trapp villa had been a truce of sorts and over the next few days there had been the occasional trick or two - though nothing serious. Brigitta, having discovered Maria's small collection of books, had been delighted when Maria had let her borrow them. Over the first few days she'd made progress getting to know each of the von Trapp children and them in turn had got to know her.

This morning Maria had been surprised to realise she'd been at the von Trapp villa a week already! The time had simply flown by and today was her first day off. She planned on visiting Nonnberg Abbey, just as Sister Margaretta had asked her too, and also couldn't wait to tell Herr Schreiber about her latest adventure and how well it was all going. However, while things had been going well, Maria had caught the children whispering in small groups every so often. Mostly it was the older children and she had realised that it was their mother that they were whispering in hushed tones about. She hadn't wanted to press for details as she'd only recently having gained their trust and she certainly didn't want to abuse it, but she had caught enough to know any possessions belonging to the late Baroness von Trapp were locked away in the west wing of the house.

Frau Schmidt had informed her on her second day that the west wing, the Captain's study and his personal rooms were forbidden. After having a quick look around the villa, Maria had encountered several locked doors – one that she noted was the ballroom she'd originally had a peek in. She guessed that the Captain had locked any other rooms that she had no permission disturbing. After reading far too many stories Maria's mind was in overdrive about the possibilities behind all the locked doors and she was still determined that there must be a room full of treasure – even if she'd been corrected many times by Friedrich that his father had been the captain of a naval submarine, not some pirate warship.

Maria was brought back out of her thoughts when the housekeeper bustled into her room, her arms full of clean towels.

"How is everything going, Fraulein Maria?" asked Frau Schmidt.

"Wonderful, thank you, Frau Schmidt," Maria replied as she smoothed down her dress.

The older woman beamed at Maria. "Are you liking your room?"

"Yes," Maria replied, looking around the room. "It's lovely."

Maria had never had such luxuries in her life before. The fact that someone else cleaned her clothes, made her bed, changed her sheets and cooked her food was still utterly strange – in the most wonderful way. And her bed was definitely the softest thing she'd ever slept on ever – she was sure not even the princess who slept on a pea could find fault with it.

"I'm glad," said the housekeeper as she placed the towels on the bed. "There will be new drapes put in tomorrow, however."

"Why?" Maria asked, her brow furrowing as she eyed the green and cream drapes. "These ones are fine."

"The Captain sent a telegram saying he wishes new ones," said Frau Schmidt with a shrug. "Probably wants the house looking its best for the Baroness."

Maria nodded, though she wondered why _her_ drapes mattered. It wasn't like the Baroness would be coming into her room. The mention of the telegram did prompt an idea – Maria still wanted to get the children some play clothes. It was turning out quite difficult to play any sorts of games outside in the clothes the children had. It was either their silly sailor suits or their fine evening clothes.

"Do you think if I sent him a telegram telling him how well the children are going he might be more inclined to get me some more material?" Maria asked. "For play clothes?"

Frau Schmidt clasped her hands together and gave Maria a long look. The girl had been an absolute blessing – truly a gift from God. And while she'd only been here a week, Mathilde Schmidt now felt like she couldn't survive without her. The children actually attended their lessons, and she had heard the unmistakable sound of laughter and singing coming from the schoolroom on more than one occasion. She knew the Captain would be furious but he wasn't here and the fact that a governess had lasted more than twenty-four hours (let alone a week) was nothing short of a miracle. But she highly doubted that the master of the house would be pleased his children hadn't been following his strict schedule.

"I don't know, dear," Frau Schmidt said eventually. "I think that might be asking too much."

Maria's shoulders slumped and she bid the housekeeper goodbye as she left the room. Her eyes fell once more onto the curtains and she stared at them. She walked over to them and touched the thick material as an idea slowly formed in her head.

* * *

Max leant casually against the balustrade while he sipped on his champagne. The party was in full swing and there was the constant sound of laughter mixed in through the strings of some upbeat waltz. He sauntered away from the terrace and back into the lavish ballroom. He could see his friend, Captain Georg von Trapp, walking over to a group of other men all decorated in their old medals and he watched as his friend straightened the bowtie around his neck before joining the men in conversation.

There was the rustling of fabric and a strong scent that alerted him to Elsa's presence before she spoke.

"There you are, Max, darling," she said, linking her arm through his.

Max turned to her. "I've been here the whole time, Elsa." He gave her a pointed look. "It's you that's been disappearing."

She smiled coyly. "Hmm, indeed." Turning to look at Georg, she continued, "Look at him, Max. My future husband." She sighed. "Georg is the most handsome man in all of Austria." She gave him a little prod on the arm. "That makes him the best."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Really, Elsa?"

He cared for Elsa, but sometimes he forgot how superficial she could be. He shook his head.

"Don't I deserve the best, darling?" Elsa asked in a hurt voice.

"Of course," Max replied. "But he's got seven children. And you're so…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Independent."

Elsa smiled and gave an elegant shrug. "I know." She patted her hair aimlessly as she stared hungrily at Georg. "But he's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute."

Max took a sip of his champagne. "If you like that sort of thing, sure. But what about all those other men fawning all over you? And _they_ don't have a brood of seven at home."

Elsa frowned at him and asked, "I thought you wanted us to marry?"

"Well, yes, you and Georg are like family. And I _do_ want to see all that lovely money kept in the family."

"Then what's the problem?"

Max gave a shrug. He liked Elsa, and he liked Georg, and he loved money – so, naturally the two of them marrying suited him just fine. But it seemed like a lot of effort on Elsa's part. But then again, at least it wasn't _him_ that was putting in the effort, Max thought. Still, he couldn't quite picture Elsa looking after a child, let alone _seven_ – as highly amusing as that thought was.

"Seven children, Elsa," Max repeated. "Though, I won't deny it gives me a fiendish delight thinking of you as the mother of seven."

Elsa smiled widely. "Oh, Max, haven't you heard of a delightful thing called boarding school?"

Max let out a derisive bark of laughter. "Georg would never send his children to boarding school."

"I disagree, darling," Elsa said, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

Intrigued, Max attempted to wheedle some more information from his blonde friend, but she kept her painted lips firmly shut. She gave him another radiant smile and departed, making her way over towards Georg.

"Darling," Elsa purred as she approached Georg, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

He gave her a smile, politely introduced her to the other men and she played the dutiful hostess as he conversed, all the while keeping her arm wrapped around his. He'd been somewhat… distant when he'd arrived back in Vienna a week ago, and Max had filled her in on the disastrous twelfth governess that he'd hired. Elsa had been insisting for months now that he just send his horrible children to boarding school and be done with it – not that she'd put it like that. She'd used words such a 'discipline' and 'order', the kind of the thing she knew would appeal to the handsome Captain. It had taken her _months_ to get Max to introduce her to his widowed friend and she'd played her part well. But it'd been nearly a year since they'd officially been courting and nearly two years since they'd been introduced.

Elsa was getting tired of bringing up marriage, Georg always seemed to have a reason not to and all the reasons seemed to revolve around his uncontrollable brood. Of course, Max was right in saying she could have any man. She could have a Duke or a Count, but she didn't _want_ them. She _wanted_ Georg von Trapp. While his children would put off many other women, Elsa had considered it a challenge. Especially to see how much she could get this man to want her. If he would be willing to send his children away to boarding school, she would know she had won. And she was feeling pretty victorious at the moment.

When he'd returned frustrated from hiring the latest governess, she had soothed him and once more brought up the topic of boarding school and he had somewhat agreed. Elsa had been ecstatic, and not just because of that but because he was finally taking her back with him. She'd wanted to go and visit his home but he'd always insisted it wasn't right until he had the children settled. While she didn't know what had made him change his mind, she didn't care. Their relationship was finally progressing.

Elsa knew his heart had been broken by the loss of his wife. She certainly didn't love him, though she was very fond of him. She didn't particularly want his love either; she just wanted Georg to need her desperately. Though, the fact that he didn't fawn all over her was certainly part of his appeal. Elsa Schraeder just wanted Georg von Trapp for herself and she was accustomed to getting what she wanted.

There was the clear ring of a bell announcing dinner was being served and Elsa returned from her musings and let Georg lead her out of the ballroom and into the dining room.

* * *

It was a week later when Georg found himself in his car and heading back to Aigen. Elsa sat next to him, chatting happily away to his old friend, Max Detweiler, who was lounging in the back. The wind whipped through Georg's hair as they sped through the roads of Vienna and out of town.

He felt like the past two weeks had just flown by, just like the countryside was doing now. It was as if he'd just gotten out of this very car and was now back in it once more. And he was dreading the state of his household. While he should have been in good spirits, as he had heard no bad news from Frau Schmidt, it made him feel nothing but unsettled. It was highly unnatural not to hear from the housekeeper at least once a day about _some_ mishap with the children. And the fact that he hadn't heard about any incidents from her was disconcerting. He'd telegrammed to order new drapes for all the rooms and for two guest rooms to be ready for when he arrived and the housekeeper had replied saying everything was in order and both the children and household were doing well.

Something so wonderful could not possibly be true. There was no way that… that… _nun_ had managed to maintain order in his household. She couldn't even be trusted to arrive for dinner on time.

There was the sound of Elsa laughing to some salacious joke Max had told and Georg immediately tried to take his thoughts off the impending doom he knew he surely must be driving towards.

* * *

 **A/N** Thanks to everyone who reviewed - especially guests :) Please do R&R, it is greatly appreciated.


	4. Days in the Sun

Chapter Four: Days in the Sun

While Georg enjoyed being right, he had been utterly livid to discover that his children hadn't been following his carefully constructed schedule at all. He had returned home to find no children – according to his housekeeper they were out with the governess on an unauthorised excursion. And so now he was feeling completely ridiculous in front on his two guests because his children were not where they should be.

When he had finally heard the unmistakeable sounds of his children, seen them row into view on the lake and then proceed to tumble into the water his anger had skyrocketed. It had been utterly embarrassing to have Elsa meet his children for the first time in some old rags that looked like something out of a nightmare. And the governess! Georg seethed as she continued to witter on and on, her eyes a fiery bright blue. The woman – part of him had duly noted her soaked appearance and he so certainly could not find it within himself to call her a girl – was clearly unfit to look after herself let alone seven children.

As soon as the governess said the children had been wearing old drapes, the last tiny thread of Georg's composure snapped.

"You mean to tell me that _my_ children have been wandering around the neighbourhood in some old drapes?" he asked, his voice failing to hide his fury.

The woman simply gave him a ridiculously bemused smile. "Yes, they've become very popular. Everyone smiles at them." She gave him a pointed look and continued, "They say, 'There goes Captain von Trapp's children. Don't they look happy.'"

"My children have always been a credit to my name," Georg spat back at her.

Maria was appalled. She had heard so many tales from the children – well, mostly the older children, about what their father had been like before their mother had died. But it was impossible to ever picture this man happy. She couldn't imagine him smiling. Or laughing. He clearly had no heart at all. Whatever sympathy she had felt for him before his return had disappeared quicker than Kurt's first meal of the day.

"Oh, but, Captain, they weren't!" Maria replied, her temper starting to get the better of her. "They were just unhappy little… marching machines!"

"I haven't heard them complain," the Captain said.

"They wouldn't dare. They love you too much," she continued, her voice rising. "They fear you too much."

"I don't wish you to discuss my children in this manner," Georg said.

"You've got to hear from someone. You're never home long enough-"

"I said I don't want to hear any more from you-"

"I know you don't, but you've got to!" the governess yelled, her blue eyes blazing.

Georg tried to tune her out but she kept going on, her voice getting louder and more full of feeling as she spoke. How dare this woman come into his home and tell him about his own children? She was going on about each of his children, as if he didn't know them at all. A deadly voice whispered in his head that she was right and he _didn't_ know his children. He pushed the thought back into the recess of his mind.

"I don't care to hear anything further from you about my children!" he yelled, heading for the house. He had had enough - this nun was done. She can go back to that abbey and Georg would find someone else. Never in his life had he been so disrespected.

"I am not finished yet, Captain!" she yelled back at him.

He turned swiftly and shot back, "Oh, yes, you are, Captain!"

Maria blinked. Did he just call me 'Captain'? She couldn't help the smile that tried to pull at her lips as she watched him deflate.

"Fraulein," he amended. "Now, you will pack your things this minute and return to the abbey."

Maria felt her heart sink at those words and she watched wordlessly as he walked away. It was then that the sounds of the children's singing floated across the terrace and down the stairs towards them. The Captain paused and turned to face her once more.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's singing."

He sighed. "Yes, I know it's singing. Who is singing?"

"The children."

Georg stared at her. "The children?" he repeated.

Wordlessly he headed back inside, leaving the dripping wet nun outside on the pavement. As he paced into the house and saw the sight in front of him, he felt his throat go dry and his chest ache.

He hadn't heard that song in so long. He remembered, with painful clarity, the many times Agathe had sung that song to the children before bed. He could see her so easily standing over Liesl's crib as she softly sang to their little girl. The memory pierced him, the sharp stab of emotions gripping at his heart. It had been such a lovely memory, and he had forgotten all about it. How could he have forgotten? It was true he had wanted to forget; all these years that is what he had tried to achieve, either through drink, meaningless one-night stands or various hobbies. The memories had just been pushed aside, buried deep within him because he thought it would make everything all right.

Before he knew what was happening, he was singing along with his children. And their faces; he would never forget the looks on their faces. Or the way they had hugged him so tightly. It made his stomach turn to knots and his breath catch.

He'd been wrong, so very wrong. And he had to admit that for once he was happy to have been.

* * *

Maria had been overjoyed when the Captain had asked her to stay. The way he had apologised had been so sincere that she'd been unable to believe it was the same man who'd just been shouting at her just moments before. There had been something in his eyes. Whatever that something was it had made the small flicker of hope roar to life inside Maria's chest.

That night they had all retired to the parlour room with the children and spent the evening chatting away happily. The Captain was mostly pleasant despite his tendency to bark snapping remarks, to be fair it was mostly aimed at Maria and usually because one of the children had told him something about their lessons.

"Fraulein…?" came the questioning drawl.

"Yes, Captain?" answered Maria as she sat on the floor, braiding Gretl's hair.

Georg gave her a withering look. The girl had her shoes kicked off and her legs stretched out so Gretl could sit in front of her as she leant against the back of a couch that Liesl and Brigitta were occupying. She looked a bit like one of Marta's dolls, Georg thought. She'd changed out of the wet dress from earlier and was now wearing some summery pink thing that looked far too short on her – an unbidden thought remarked that this wasn't a problem.

"I hear you've been taking my children up mountains?" he asked, forcing himself to look at her face and not her legs.

The governess nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Please, Fraulein, do let me know in future if you have any excursions planned," he said as he accepted a drink from Max. "I don't think it's safe for them to be traipsing about a mountain. They could get lost."

"Oh, Captain, but that's my mountain, I would never get lost," she insisted, sending him a ridiculously large smile.

Georg took a sip of his drink and eyed her carefully. "Yes. But there are seven children, Fraulein, and you do not have eyes in the back of your head."

Maria sighed. She wanted to argue but she felt like there had been enough of that for one day already. "Yes, Captain. I'll make sure to ask first."

Saluting her with his drink, Georg turned his attention towards Elsa who had been busy nattering away to Max.

"Darling," said Elsa, placing a hand over Georg's, "Your home is just lovely. And your dear children are so kind. Did you see the lovely flowers they gave me?"

Elsa smiled as Georg nodded and made a remark to the children, telling them how kind it was to give her the bedraggled flowers. In her head, Elsa was seething. She did not want to be spending time with these blasted children. Georg had barely mentioned them during their courtship and now suddenly because of this damn governess he wanted to spend all his time with them? It was ludicrous.

Her gaze slid over to the so-called nun and mentally Elsa cursed her. When Georg had told her about the latest governess Elsa had laughed at the idea of some old nun looking after his children. But this was not some old nun. It was a girl. A pretty girl at that, Elsa admitted grudgingly. The girl was also wearing a short dress that had scandalised Elsa when she first seen the girl arrive back downstairs. It barely reached her knees. It was so indecent!

"Don't you think it's time the children went to bed, Georg?" Elsa said sweetly, giving his hand a squeeze. "It has been such a long day for them."

There were a multitude of protests at that but Elsa smiled as the governess got to her feet and started rounding up the horrible cretins together.

"Come on, children," Maria called, taking Gretl and Marta by the hand. "Time for bed. Say goodnight."

Maria smiled at the Captain and bid goodnight to his guests before ushering the children out and up the stairs towards their rooms. It had been a busy and exhausting day for sure. She'd fallen into a lake and been fired and rehired all in one day. After putting the children to bed, she retired to her room and changed out of the dress Liesl had let her borrow. All her other clothes were in dire need of washing after the many adventures her and the children had been having and her dress today had been her last clean outfit – until the lake had happened.

As she got into bed, letting the cool sheets envelope her, she smiled into the darkness. Today had certainly been an interesting one. And she was sure it wasn't to be last the interesting one either.

* * *

The next few days had passed with surprising ease and the Captain had requested Maria's to attend to his study every evening once the children were in bed. The first night Maria had been riddled with nerves, still feeling slightly off balanced since their argument outside the previous day. But it had all turned out fine, of course the man had clearly not changed because of one song - Maria wasn't that naïve. He had listened as she spoke but had occasionally interjected with a few remarks here and there. The meetings had been relatively short and so overall it had been nothing to worry about.

It had also become a custom after dinner to retire to the parlour room and over the past week Maria had noted how the Baroness had seemed slightly unimpressed with this turn of events. It wasn't Maria's place to judge, though, and of course the woman probably wasn't used to so many children. But it had been a little troubling. After all, Frau Schmidt had remarked that this woman could be the next Baroness von Trapp and shouldn't she then be spending time with the children? Maria had offered for the lady to join them on a picnic or two in the villa gardens but she was always too tired or too busy – what she did with her time Maria had no clue.

Maria shook her head, it wasn't her place or her business. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was going until she found herself in a corridor she didn't recognise. It was clear she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and found herself in the west wing of the house. Maria had been told by both the housekeeper and the butler that the west wing was off limits and she was to keep well away. She knew it was where the attic was, where all of the late Baroness von Trapp's possessions were kept and she knew she shouldn't pry but surely it couldn't hurt to just have a look?

As she continued down the long corridor she saw a door open at the end of the hall and a small figure hurry out and shut the door quickly and begin to lock it. Their back was to Maria but she instantly recognised that it was Brigitta.

"Brigitta?" Maria called out as she walked down towards her.

The girl visibly jumped as she turned around. The guilty look on her face giving her away almost immediately.

"Where does that lead?" Maria asked.

Brigitta sighed. "The attic..." She looked up at Maria and added, "Please don't tell Father, I don't want him to get angry. We aren't supposed to go in there." The girl paused. "It's where all Mother's things are kept. He locks it but…" She gave a little shrug and smiled awkwardly. "Well, he hides the key but he's so predictable so I usually find it. Then I just put it back."

"Oh."

"I know we shouldn't," the girl went on, "I mean, we normally only go in there when he goes away to Vienna but I like being in there." Brigitta sighed again. "It makes me feel closer to her. Gretl and Marta don't even remember Mother at all. I barely can, at least I _think_ I can. Sometimes I forget what her face looks like. How could I forget my own mother's face?"

Maria had her arms around the girl before she had finished and she could feel the tears seeping through her dress as Brigitta cried. She let her hand run in soothing circles on her back until she calmed but in Maria's head her thoughts were running wild.

Those poor children had nothing of their mother's and so they had to sneak around just to catch a glimpse of a photo? She knew the children were happy to have their father back but she knew they were also scared it was going to wear off and there would be whistles and marching again. She couldn't blame Brigitta for disobeying her father. Maria had very little of her parents possessions, just her guitar and a small framed photo; anything of value had been sold by her uncle or chucked out. But at least she had _something_.

"Brigitta, I will try and talk to your father, I promise," Maria said, giving the young girl a warm smile. "Now you better go get ready for bed, I will be with you soon."

Brigitta nodded, giving Maria a watery smile as she did before she hurried back down the corridor. Eyeing the door, Maria began to walk closer until she was startled herself.

"Fraulein!"

Whirling around, Maria saw the Captain striding down the corridor, his face like thunder.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked.

"Uh," Maria dithered.

"I'm certain Frau Schmidt told you this part of the house is off limits," said Georg, trying to keep a hold on his temper.

He hadn't been up to the attic in weeks. And lately, with everything that had happened with the children, he felt like he should go up there. But he had not expected to find the governess here. She should _not_ be here.

She nodded. "Yes, she did, Captain, sir, but-"

"Fraulein," he said warningly. "I do not wish to have every conversation with you end in a shouting match." He sighed. "Please, I do not wish to see you in this part of the house again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Maria said.

"Good," he said with a small inclination of his head. "Now, I will meet you in my study in half an hour after you have seen to the children."

With a nod Maria left the man behind and walked down the hall back towards the nursery. She would do as she promised Brigitta, but now was definitely not the time. The man clearly had a problem with his temper – not that Maria could talk – and she didn't feel like baiting him. Especially after how well things had been going.

Making her way back towards the nursery, she made sure all the children were tucked in bed before she headed downstairs. She reached the study and took her usual seat across from his desk when she entered. She managed to wait for about five minutes before she stood up and walked behind his desk, peering at the assortment of model submarines and ships, books and other miscellaneous items that filled the shelves. Sneaking a glance at the clock above the small fireplace that sat nestled in a corner of the room, she saw that it had been nearly an hour since she'd seen the Captain and she idly wondered where he was – he was never late.

With a small sigh, she sat back down in her chair and let herself relax. Before she knew it, she was quoting Shakespeare – a habit she'd picked up to keep her mind occupied when she was bored or doing dull work. It had always irritated Sister Berthe but some of the other Sisters had always enjoyed listening to Maria. And it wasn't singing so she didn't need permission.

"'Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but the mind and therefore…'" Maria said aloud and was startled when a deep rumble continued.

"'And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.'"

Maria blinked and turned to face the Captain, who was shutting the study door behind him.

"You're late," she said as he sat down in his leather chair.

"I told you to come earlier so I wouldn't be kept waiting for a change," said Georg, unable to help the smirk that spread across his face.

While Fraulein Maria had turned out to be quite the governess, she still seemed unable to grasp time keeping. He'd been tired of waiting for her every evening, though usually it was because the little ones had requested an extra song or story.

He was feeling marginally better after being in the attic. It had become a ritual of sorts, going up there. It wasn't clear whether he did to punish himself or to make himself feel better. Possibly, it was both. The memory of Agathe had been too painful to bear; it had been so much easier to push everything else away. To just become the commander again. But things had changed now. Because of the woman sitting in front of him. He was trying his best to make up for the terrible father he'd been. But it was still hard. To see Agathe's face in his children, to see her mannerisms, her smile. It wasn't getting easier but he was learning to deal with it better. To be able to enjoy seeing those things, instead of shying away from them.

"Oh," Maria said with a small smile. "Well, it worked." She paused and asked, "So, you know Shakespeare?"

He gave a small shrug. "I had an expensive education."

"Actually," Maria said with a small smile, as she took her usual seat across from him, " _Romeo and Juliet_ is my favourite play."

The Captain scoffed and raised an eyebrow at her. "Why is that not a surprise?"

"I'm sorry?" Maria said, unable to hide the indignation from her voice.

"Well, all that heartache and pining and…" he waved a hand dismissively. "So many better things to read."

Maria let out a laugh of disbelief. Was he actually serious? The man who had locked his wife's possessions away and kept his children at arm's length because the memory of her was too much to bear was telling Maria that he had no care to read about heartache and pining? He _was_ a Shakespearian character.

"Like what?" Maria asked.

"Well, have you been to the library?" he asked.

Maria shook her head, she hadn't realised they had a library. Most of the books used for lessons were kept in the schoolroom and the children had never mentioned there was a library. This house was just full of forbidden and secret rooms it seemed.

"It's usually locked," said Georg. "I keep most books in here and it was…" He paused, cleared his throat and continued. "I could you show you if you like?"

"I'd like that very much," Maria replied, giving him a small smile.

He opened a draw in his desk and pulled out a set of keys and walked over to the far side of his study. Maria had never noticed there was another door there and she followed him as he opened it. The Captain walked in and flicked on a switch, lighting up the room.

Maria gasped. The room was huge and every single wall was lined with books. Her eyes couldn't take in the details fast enough, and she felt her fingers twitch at the sight of so many books. The shelves spanned over two floors and Maria could see there was a large ornate fireplace on one side of the room where a few plush armchairs sat in front of it. There was one large spiralling staircase that led up to the second floor and the large windows that lined the room were letting in beams of moonlight. Next to the fireplace was a large circular table with a few chairs surrounding it where a large globe sat in the middle. Most of the furniture was covered in dustsheets but the room was still incredible and she was aware her mouth must have been hanging open but she couldn't help herself. She'd read nearly every single book in Herr Schreiber's little bookstore and that shop was miniscule compared to the size of the Captain's collection.

"Are you all right, Fraulein?" Maria heard him ask.

"It's wonderful," she breathed, turning her beaming face to his.

Georg couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. The sight of her face animated with sheer, unadulterated happiness was contagious. He cast a quick glance around the room.

"Yes, I suppose it is," he said, taking in the room. "If you like it so much, you're free to use it anytime you wish." He pointed towards another door. "That's the main entrance over there."

She gave him another one of her wholesomely charming smiles. "Thank you."

Maria walked over to the nearest shelf and let her fingers graze against the spines as she read the titles. She fervently wished she'd been able to be in here sooner, there was no way she was going to be able to read everything before the summer ended.

"Have you really read every one of these books?" Maria asked, returning her attention back to the Captain.

"Well, not all of them," the Captain said. "Some of them are in Greek."

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "Was that a joke?" A small laughed escaped her lips at his expression. "Are you making jokes now?"

"Maybe."

Another laughed escaped her lips and she gave him another puzzling look before she returned her attention back towards the rows of books. Georg watched as she occasionally pulled out a novel and gave a delighted cry of excitement before flicking excitedly through the pages. Before long she'd made a small pile on the large table and was already hurrying up the spiralling staircase to check the rest of his collection.

He let his eyes leave her and once more took in the room. He hadn't been in here in years, not since Agathe had left him. It had been one of her favourite rooms and he could so easily picture her half way up one of the ladders as she retrieved yet another fairy tale to read to the children. The memory made him smile and he returned his attention back towards Fraulein Maria, who was now up a ladder herself. The sight of her, mixed with his memory of Agathe, caused a strange sensation in his stomach and he quickly looked away.

The jolt seemed to make him realise that she'd managed to get him to unlock a forbidden room. She hadn't even asked him too, he _had_ offered to show her. Why did he do this? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was gratitude? The children had been doing exceptionally well lately. They didn't complain (much) about their work and seemed to actually enjoy their lessons. It had occurred to him the other night that he had actually begun to enjoy the evenings he had spent with the governess.

There was the sound of her asking a question and Georg looked up to see her leaning over the top of the bannister on the second floor, flourishing a book in one hand. She was smiling still, that same beguiling smile that seemed to be permanently tugging at her lips. It wasn't until nearly two hours later that he remembered he was supposed to be meeting Elsa and Max in town for dinner. Part of him had been flabbergasted by his behaviour while the other hadn't been able to care.

* * *

 **A/N** I used both the film and the stage musical for the rowboat argument.  
Sorry this took so long, I work in retail and it's Christmas so I've been so exhausted I haven't had the energy to work on this one. Any spare time I have has been spent re-watching "The Nanny" haha


	5. Perfect, a Pure Paragon!

Chapter Five: Perfect, a Pure Paragon!

"I'm not joking, Sofia!"

At the sound of this outburst, Frau Schmidt poked her head out the kitchen and peered down the hall to see two housemaids huddled together, both of them clasping their feather dusters and talking in an animated hush.

"What are you girls doing?" Mathilde Schmidt asked.

Both girls jumped and rushed down the hall towards her, both gabbling hurriedly.

Mathilde raised a hand. "One at a time, please."

"Oh, Frau Schmidt!" gasped one of the girls. "I walked past the library and I heard the master in there – with the governess!"

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Mathilde gave the girl a withering look. "So, Anya? Captain von Trapp meets with her every evening." Then she stopped and realised what the maid had just told her. "Did you say the _library_?"

The top of Anya's frilly housemaid cap flapped as the girl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! And I heard him…" The girl paused for dramatic effect and leaned in closer towards the housekeeper."… laugh!"

"Nonsense!"

"Who'd have thought?" said Anya excitedly.

"Who'd have known?" said Sofia in a daze as she gazed into the distance, clutching at her feather duster.

"It's so peculiar," agreed Mathilde, though she was hesitant to believe them. The two maids were notorious with their gossip.

Turning around, she headed back into the kitchen and called out for Franz who was busy bustling around the cook like an overattentive mother hen.

"Franz!"

"Yes?" he asked as he approached, raising an eyebrow at the overexcited housemaids.

"Apparently the Captain is with the governess in the library," she said, giving the housemaids another disbelieving look.

Franz frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. The library is locked. And I know the Captain has reservations with the Baroness and Herr Detweiler at the Goldener Hirsch this evening."

"He's in the library," said Anya, her eyes shining.

"You must be hearing things," Franz said with a wave of his hands. "Captain von Trapp would not forgo dinner with his two guests just so he could spend more time with the _governess_. He will be at the Goldener."

"He's _in_ the library!" repeated Anya.

* * *

It was ten minutes later when Mathilde returned to the kitchen and sat down at the worn bench. She stared at a knot in the wood until she heard the scrape of a chair and turned to see Franz sit down next to her. They'd both followed the housemaids to the library, all four of them pressing their ear against the locked door. And then they had waited with baited breath until they heard the muffled sound of the governess talking and then a second later the unmistakable rumble of their Captain laughing.

"But she's the _governess_ ," Franz said for the tenth time.

Mathilde fixed her grumpy companion with a hard stare. "And, so? She's done a great deal of good in this house."

"The governess, Mathilde," said Franz, raising a pointed finger. "Why isn't he in town with his guests? I thought he brought that Baroness here so he could marry her." He threw his hands up in the air and then fixed the housekeeper with a irritated glare. "This is your fault you know!"

"My fault? Where did you get that from?"

"You're the one that had to feed her! No, we couldn't just let her starve and run away like all the others. Instead she stayed and now she's going into forbidden rooms and making the master laugh!" Franz said all of this accompanied by woefully pitiful sighs. "Captain von Trapp doesn't laugh!"

While Mathilde knew Franz to be one uptight man, she knew that he did care for the family. Sometimes, though, he just made no sense at all.

"I'm sorry, Franz, but I thought that this would be a good thing that the girl stayed? You always complain that they never last; that the children or the Captain scare them off. But she's still here."

"Ha! Yes!" said Franz triumphantly. "For _now_. What happens when she returns to the abbey?"

Mathilde shrugged.

"A-ha! You see?"

Mathilde shook her head, she didn't see at all.

Franz tapped his nose. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

Mathilde stared at Franz, her head cocked to the side.

"Come on! Once she's gone he'll go back to being his brooding self and he'll lock all the doors again and then there will be _more_ governesses. And it'll be worse this time because they had someone they liked and then she'll be gone!"

Franz was making no sense to her and so Mathilde asked, "What about the Baroness, everyone knows he's planning to marry her – you just said it yourself. Hopefully they won't need a governess."

A smug smirk found it's way onto Franz's face. "Ah, but you see that's exactly my point - she won't want to marry him now."

"Why?"

"Because he spent the damn evening with the _governess_!"

* * *

Letting out an unladylike huff, Elsa tapped her fan on the top of the bar's countertop and glared at a pot plant in the near distance.

She was _furious_.

At ten minutes past their reservation time, she'd been merely annoyed. Georg was normally a punctual man but of course there was a first time for everything. Surely one of his brats or even the ridiculous excuse for a governess had done something and kept him. She'd assured herself he'd be here soon.

At half past she'd moved on from annoyed to highly vexed. Max had suggested they order an entrée or two and assured her Georg would be here in time for their main meal.

That was nearly three hours ago. And after a bottle of wine, Elsa was ready to strangle Georg and watch his handsome face turn purple as she slowly deprived him of air. How dare he humiliate her? She was, as he had put it, his saviour. And now he was doing God knew what somewhere else. What could possible be more important than her?

"Elsa, I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," she heard Max say as she willed the pot plant she'd been staring at to burst into flames.

"Three hours, Max," she hissed, dragging her gaze away from the pathetic flora to point her fan accusingly at the impresario. " _Three hours_."

Letting out a dramatic sigh worthy of any wronged heroine, Elsa raised a gloved hand to her forehead as she sunk gracefully into one of the plush loveseats in the bar's lounge.

"It pains me to see you so down in the dumps, Elsa," Max said, plonking down next to her, a drink in his hand.

"Dismissed. Rejected. Publicly humiliated." Elsa sighed and let her bottom lip tremble. "Why, it's more than I can bear."

"More champagne, darling?" Max suggested, waving his glass.

"What for?" Elsa said sadly as she gestured with her fan. "Nothing helps." Giving her best woeful sigh, Elsa let her eyes fill with tears – a handy skill that had saved her many times. "I'm disgraced!"

Max patted Elsa's hand idly as he awkwardly looked around the bar. There was a group of men, dressed in finely tailored suits, all eyeing Elsa appreciatively. While she was obviously in distress, he had to give her points for still managing to look fabulous. Her body was practically draped over the lounge, like some exotic - and erotic – throw blanket, while she let her perfectly made-up face rest in a gloved hand.

"You, disgraced? Never!" Max said cheerfully. "You've got to pull yourself together. Every guy here loved to be with you, Elsa."

Elsa formed her red painted lips into a sad little pout.

"Come on, Elsa, everyone's awed and inspired by you," Max went on, he gestured suggestively to her leg that had managed to find itself placed strategically near the split in her figure hugging dress. "And it's not very hard to see why."

Elsa sighed again. She cast a glance in the direction of the group of men, all of whom immediately raised their glasses at her. How could they not be awed for her, Max was right. She was the perfect hostess, utterly charming, witty, graceful - she was _lovely._

"Thank you, Max," Elsa said, letting her lips quirk into a smile. "I needed that."

"You need nothing, darling!" Max said. "Don't worry, I'm sure Georg has a perfectly good reason and will surely make it up to you."

"I suppose," Elsa conceded. _He better_ , she thought.

" _Excuse me?"_

Max and Elsa turned to see a waiter hovering next to them.

"Yes?" they both replied.

"There is a telephone call for a Herr Detweiler."

Excusing himself to Elsa, Max stood, gave her one more encouraging smile and sauntered off in the direction of the reception which was located down a short, lavishly decorated hall. Taking the phone from the clerk's hand, Max gave a little sigh before bringing the receiver to his face.

"Max Detweiler, speaking."

"Max!"

"Georg?" Max hissed into the phone, turning his back to the bar. "Where the bloody hell are you?"

"Is Elsa furious?"

"Let's just say that even if Austria still had a Navy you'd still be without a command."

"What?"

"She could sink ships with the look on her face when she realised you weren't coming!"

"Max…"

"Where are you, Georg?" Max risked a glance in the direction of the lounge and heard the sound of Elsa's husky laugh travelling down the hall. "She seems a little better now but you embarrassed her."

"I'm sorry, I just got caught up with something at home."

Max opened his mouth to let out a somewhat sympathetic remark but paused; Georg hadn't sounded like whatever had kept him had been unpleasant.

"What _something_?"

"Just... just something with the children. Look, Max, I'm sorry. Please, do tell Elsa I shall make it up to her, I promise." There was a pause on the other side of the line. "And have the bill sent to me."

"Already have!" trilled Max.

There was no response, just the dial tone as Georg hung up. Frowning, Max returned the phone before sauntering back off in the direction of the bar. He distinctly felt like something had happened at Aigen and he had missed it. Whatever it was, it wasn't Max's problem; his only problem right now was that he had no drink left. But he intended to remedy that – with compliments from Georg von Trapp.

* * *

Georg still couldn't believe that he'd spent nearly three hours in the library with Fraulein Maria. When he had first realised how much time had been spent with the little governess he hadn't even bothered to do anything about it. He had been too busy being swept back into conversation with the woman that he'd forgotten to even call the hotel. It wasn't until nearly another hour later that he'd remembered and had bid goodnight to the governess and hastily returned to his study to call Elsa and Max. And while he'd felt incredibly guilty for leaving Elsa, he had had to admit that it had been a pleasurable evening absent of waltzing, champagne and bores he detested.

It had been such a long time since he'd had decent conversation with someone. And while many of their interests and opinions had been varied, it had been stimulating. He'd felt challenged. It had been exciting to talk of the things he enjoyed and he had grudgingly admitted to himself that he'd rather enjoyed listening to her talk as well.

Fraulein Maria was so different to the people he'd met before. She didn't hide behind a mask like most people he knew. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve. Before she'd arrived, Georg couldn't remember the last time someone had answered back to him. This simple country girl didn't seem to be fazed by the fact that he was Captain Georg von Trapp. It was oddly refreshing. Although, she definitely had a way of getting under his skin and he was certain there were many more arguments to come.

After mustering up the courage to call the hotel, he'd been unable to tell even Max the truth and instead he'd settled for saying it was due to the children. Of course, he was going to have to make it up to Elsa – probably do something grand and glorious. Though, he told himself, _not_ a proposal. While he was certain that would make her happy, he still wasn't ready.

There was the sound of the front door opening and so Georg walked out of his study and into the foyer where his two guests were standing. Elsa was handing her coat to a nearby maid and when she turned back around to face him, she raised her chin and eyed him carefully.

"Good evening, darling," she said, her tone decidedly frosty. "Well, I do hope whatever it is you've been doing tonight was worth it."

Georg opened his mouth to speak but she held up a gloved hand. "No, Georg. I've suffered enough for one night, I do not want to listen to your grovelling excuses."

Clearing his throat pointedly, Georg said, "I had no plans of grovelling, Elsa. Of course, I apologise for not letting you know sooner. I'm sure Max was able to keep you entertained."

Elsa said nothing, choosing instead to sweep up the stairs without a backwards glance towards the two men.

"That went better than expected," Georg said once Elsa had disappeared up the stairs.

Max shrugged. "It's Elsa, you know how dramatic she can be. We had a good time, despite what she says. There were men – and women – fawning all over her. Turns out news gets around – even to this sleepy old place."

"Salzburg isn't exactly some poor provincial town, Max," Georg retorted. "It may not be Vienna, but it's not the exactly nowhere."

"True – though, try telling that to Elsa," Max said as they began to walk towards Georg's study.

Sinking into a plush armchair, Max fixed his friend with an inquisitive eye. He couldn't deny he was incredibly curious as to why Georg had forgone dinner with Elsa in order to stay back at the villa. Clearly, there had been no crisis.

So," said Max casually, "what were you doing? You said something about the children?"

Georg, who had been ready for this attack, simply said, "Yes, it took a while to settle them." He brushed some dust of his jacket. "And I must have just got caught up in it. It has been a while."

Max nodded thoughtfully. "So, you're telling me it took you nearly three hours to get your children to bed?"

"Have you met my children, Max?" replied Georg.

"Well, yes, I get what you mean," said Max diplomatically. "But they have been behaving so well lately – all thanks to that little governess of yours!"

"Of course," agreed Georg. "But, that doesn't mean they are like that all the time, Max." He shifted in his chair, he was tired of discussing this and he knew the less he said the better. "Anyway, I am sorry for forgetting to call earlier."

Deciding to let it drop, Max waved a hand. "I told you, Elsa will be fine. Though, of course, you will still need to make it up to her." He watched as Georg nodded in response.

Max knew Georg wasn't being completely honest, and whatever he had been doing probably had nothing to do with the children – or if it did, it wasn't the whole story. He also felt a little disappointed that his friend couldn't be honest with him, as he knew most things about Georg von Trapp. But he knew not to push it, Georg never responded well to being needled for information – and Max did not feel like dealing Georg's temper. It was far too late and all the alcohol had given him a lovely buzz; he was certainly not going to let Georg ruin that.

* * *

A/N Sorry for such a long wait on this one. Hope you enjoyed it :)


	6. Easy to Remember, Harder to Move On

Chapter Six: Easy to Remember, Harder to Move On

It was startling to realise that Maria had been at the von Trapp villa for a month now; it felt like she'd been there so much longer than that. The first two weeks with just the children had simply flown by. And now it had been two weeks since the Captain had returned with his guests.

Today was her designated day off and she had just returned back to the villa after visiting Nonnberg. Every week she went on her day off and visited the sisters and other postulants. And every week she looked forward to it as she missed her home at the abbey greatly. However, today had felt different. While she still missed the abbey, it was more that she just missed seeing the sisters and not so much the life there. Maybe she had become to accustomed to the lavish life she was living here in the villa?

She had felt out of place at the abbey – more so than usual – and she had actually missed the von Trapp villa. When she had walked down the long road and finally reached the iron gates, her heart had lifted as she walked through the gravel drive and up to the large yellow house. It was obvious she was getting too attached to the children and a small part of her was starting to become concerned about what was going to happen when she left. Would she be able to visit? Could they visit her? Maybe? She didn't know.

She shook her head; it wasn't worth worrying about now anyway.

Wandering aimlessly around the grounds, Maria came across the large glass gazebo. The late afternoon sun was shining down on it, causing refractions of light to glitter along the green grass. Inside the gazebo she could see someone inside and as she neared, she recognised the Captain. He had his back to her, as he leant against a glass wall, and she could see he was reading.

She smiled to herself as she approached. After last week when he had shown her the library, she had felt like she'd managed to cross some kind of bridge with him. He was still quite surly, and certainly was quick to chastise her, but more often than not, Maria was finding that she quite looked forward to seeing him every evening.

It was like, for once, she had a friend. A friend that didn't judge her based on her background or status; someone that understood her. He treated her as an equal – well, most of the time. After all, she was the governess and he was the father. But it was… pleasant, the time they spent together.

Entering the gazebo, she walked up to the Captain and he immediately closed the book as he glanced up at her.

"Hello, Captain," said Maria, giving him a smile. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing," he said, his piercing blue gaze looking up at her. "How was your visit to the abbey?"

"Oh, fine," said Maria dismissively. She tried to push away the thoughts that had been niggling at her during her walk back the villa and instead focused on the book in his lap. Her smile grew wider as she saw the title. "Ah… Guinevere and Lancelot."

Georg glared at her as she sat down next to him. "Actually, _King Arthur and the Round Table_." He watched at she tried to contain the grin on her face by biting down on lower lip. He cleared his throat. "Knights and men and swords and so on."

"Mmm," said the governess, "still, it's a romance." Her face broke out into the smuggest smile at that and Georg felt that while she looked like the cat that got the cream, she still had this strangely innocent air about her.

"Fine, _yes_ , it's a romance," agreed Georg begrudgingly.

"I thought there were better things to read than romance?" she asked, her beaming face leaning towards him.

Georg was hit by the sudden scent that wafted towards him as she leant closer. It was fresh and sweet, and it curled its way around his head, making it hard to think. For one wild moment he was suddenly gripped with the urge to bring her closer so he could inhale more of the tantalising smell. With her so close, he also noticed that her lips were a rosy pink and that the sun had brought out the freckles on her face. Another wild thought cartwheeled across his brain: he wanted to kiss every one of those freckles before capturing those lips. Would she taste as lovely as she smelled?

He blinked. "Uh," he said before clearing his throat. "Yes, well, I can't help if some books have a little nonsense in them."

"Mmhmm," was all she said as she turned her head away from him. "It's lovely in here."

"Yes," he said, glancing at the architecture. "It was here when we moved in. I used to come out here a lot and read."

He hadn't in years. He had loved to spend his time sitting in the gazebo, watching the way the glass created rainbows across the grounds when the sun hit it just right. During his leave, he'd spend time in the gazebo; he'd read, nap or even spend some quality time during the summer nights with Agathe. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Sounds nice," said Maria, casting a glance towards the Captain.

He was staring off into the distance, a slightly dazed look on his face before it disappeared, the mask slipping back in place once more. There was a comfortable silence until it was broken by Maria's stomach grumbling.

She laughed. "Sorry, I think I need to go see cook about some food."

"Mmm," muttered Georg, "best you do, Fraulein."

Standing, she bid him goodbye before she left, turning once more to give him a small wave. He watched her walk away towards the house, the sun glinting off her halo of hair, until she faded from view.

Giving his head a shake and flexing his fingers, he tried to forget all the strange, but not unpleasant, images that had just managed to float into his head while she had been with him. Returning to his book, he tried to forget about the smell that seemed to have lingered and was trying to vie for his attention.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Max found himself utterly bored. Elsa had been off in town, seeing some friend or whatever, and Georg had been busy reading – a hobby Max had never been fond of. And, so, he was bored.

Max was your typical sponge; he took what he could get and soaked it all up, leaving not a drop behind – especially when it came to alcohol. And that was the main reason he had come along with Elsa. Of course, he did care for both his friends, but Max was a man of leisure and he liked to lead a lovely carefree life. Besides, it was usually quite entertaining with Elsa.

But, when Georg had ditched Elsa for whatever reason, he'd been irritated that his friend had disturbed the natural ecosystem of Max's little world. Elsa had been angry, in that frosty and dramatic way that women tended to be like, and it had began to interfere with Max's carefree lifestyle. Determined to sort it out – for the sake of his friends (and the money) – he'd made sure Georg had planned a lovely little get together for a few select friends in a private room at the Goldener for Elsa. It had been lovely, and Elsa had been the toast of the night. The fact that Georg had thrown in some extravagant jewellery (no ring, though) had been a bonus.

However, he had still been determined to find out the real reason for Georg's absence in the first place. And happily, the answer to his question was about to be answered.

Strolling across the foyer he saw the young governess casually walk out of the library, a tower of books hiding the top half of her slim frame. Curious, he'd approached her.

"Fraulein?"

The girl turned, slightly startled, which caused a few books to tumble down. He hastily picked them up for her.

"Here, let me help you there!" he said and began to follow her up the stairs, towards the schoolroom.

"Oh, thank you, Herr Detweiler," she replied, giving him a smile. "I think I got too greedy there. Too many books to choose from!"

"Yes, indeed," he said. "And, please, call me Max."

"Oh, well, please, do call me Maria," she replied as he opened the door to the schoolroom.

She gave him another large smile as she deposited the books on a small table at the back of the room. Max hadn't really paid much attention to her since he'd arrived; she'd just been this somewhat small, nymph like creature floating around with the children. He was certain she couldn't be that much older than Liesl and his mind had just kind of lumped her in as a child herself. However, now that he came to look at her, he realised that was she was actually fairly attractive.

Her blue eyes were warm and large, just like the smile on her face. She was built like some woodland fairy with her strange haircut and long arms and legs. But she was certainly no child that was for sure.

"How did you get into the library?" he asked.

She gave a small laugh. "Oh, the Captain showed it to me the other night. And he said I could borrow books whenever I liked."

Max's brow furrowed. "What night?"

"I think you were out with the Baroness?" the governess said as she began to sort through the books. "It was a few nights ago. Last Tuesday? Wednes- no, definitely Tuesday."

Max felt his eyebrows rise and stay somewhere near his hairline.

"So," Max said slowly. "You were with Georg that night, in the library?"

She nodded, glancing up from the books. "Yes. We were in there for hours! It's huge! I've never seen so many books in my life." She shot him another lovely smile. "The bookshop in town could fit in there a million times over-" The woman laughed. "Okay, maybe not that much but you get what I mean."

Nodding, the dusty wheels in Max's head began to turn in thought. So, Georg spent the evening… talking with the governess? About books?

How dull.

But! It mustn't have been. Max tapped his chin thoughtfully, and after excusing himself to the governess, slipped downstairs and headed for the kitchen. If he was going to do this much thinking, he was going to need a snack. One thing for certain though, he was _not_ telling Elsa.

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning but Georg was walking silently and swiftly down the dark corridor towards to the west wing off the house. He turned down a dark hall until he reached the door to the attic. Fumbling for the key in his robe pocket, he managed to unlock the door before he walked up the stone steps and pushed through another door and into the attic.

It was hard to see much in the darkness on this cloudy night, but he refused to turn on the light. He knew where everything was anyway. And he didn't really want to see anything. He knew it all. Every detail. No matter how hard he had tried to forget.

It was guilt, and shame, that had brought him up here. He'd woken in the middle night because he'd dreamt, dreamt of things he dare not speak of. It had started out innocently enough. He'd been back in the gazebo, the summer sun streaming through the glass windows. And then Fraulein Maria had come along, smelling of sunshine and sweet roses.

Without a thought, he'd brought her face closer to him to he could bury his head into her neck and inhale the intoxicating scent that had plagued him for the rest of the day. And then it had all gone from there. The thoughts he'd had earlier in the day had apparently stuck with him and the next thing he knew he'd been kissing every inch of skin he could reach. The way she had moaned and writhed had done nothing but urge him on and before he knew it, he was awake in his bed with sweat covering every inch of skin and the painful stab of arousal calling out for his attention.

How could he? What about Agathe? What about Elsa? If anyone, he should be thinking of her. Not the damn governess. And if not her, then at least his wife. He had needed a cold dose of reality and a shower had not been enough. So, he had shrugged into some pyjamas and a robe before he'd made his way towards the attic. Trying to find some sort of solace in the memories. Trying to ground himself.

Maybe it was just a one off and it wouldn't happen again? He hoped so.

He was distracted from his thoughts when the moon managed to emerge from the clouds and shine some light into the room. It glinted off a dressmakers mannequin located at the back of the attic. The mannequin wore Agathe's wedding dress. Swallowing hard, Georg approached carefully. Once he was a foot away, he realised both his hands were balled into fists.

No, he couldn't do this. It was one thing to open the library but this, he couldn't stomach this. He didn't want to deal with it – he couldn't. Not now.

Releasing the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, he turned sharply and hurried out of the attic. Completely forgetting to lock the doors behind him.

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you for the reviews! Especially to guests since I can't reply. It's really fun mashing the two stories together. And Elsa is so fun to write as the 'evil villain' in this one – I usually write her a lot differently.

I will be leaving for Japan (yay!) on Wednesday (so Tuesday for you USA peeps) and will be gone two weeks so I probably won't be updating for a while. But I wanted to post a chapter on this one before I left :)


	7. The West Wing

Chapter Seven: The West Wing

"Well, isn't this lovely?"

With a thin-lipped smile, Georg nodded in response to Elsa. It was all right, he supposed, but it wasn't lovely. He shifted on the settee, trying to get comfortable. The smell of hair lacquer wafted under his nose as Elsa leant in closer towards him.

"You know, Georg, I don't think we've had a moment alone since we arrived in Salzburg," she said, dropping her voice as she placed a hand on his knee. "And I do miss our moments alone."

Before he knew it, Elsa was tugging him closer towards him, her painted lips sticking to his own as she pressed herself into him. With his body on autopilot, his hand snaked around her waist, drawing her firmly against him. But his heart wasn't in it. The dreams of last night kept assaulting him. And all day he'd had to reprimand himself every time he noticed something about the governess. Something he shouldn't notice.

He had hoped it had just been one of those strange dreams, the ones that happen every once in a while and you forget all the details the moment dawn breaks. But it seemed to have awoken some part of him he really thought long dead, and the vivid images refused to leave. Elsa had always been a great comfort, but he hadn't really been _that_ interested. Agathe had taken both his heart and any real interest in the opposite sex with her to the grave. Or at least, so he thought.

His arrangement with Elsa was proper and dignified. She was charming, witty, the perfect hostess and utterly gorgeous. Yet, here he was trying to swat away the image of Fraulein Maria underneath the summer sunshine in the gazebo while Elsa clung onto him.

The memory of Fraulein Maria in his dream caused a roll of unbridled desire to shoot through him and his grip on Elsa's waist tightened, bringing her closer. She sighed his name against his mouth and Georg instantly stilled, pulling away from her with care.

"Elsa," he said somewhat stiffly, "I apologise, that wasn't-"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Georg, I've had plenty of experience with sailors, trust me, you can't frighten me." She smirked at him. "But I best go freshen up before we have drinks with Max."

He watched her leave, his mind reeling as he berated himself for thinking of another woman while with Elsa. What had happened to him?

With determined resolve, he rose and headed upstairs.

* * *

She hadn't planned on doing it; she didn't mean to do it. But she had.

Maria let out of the breath she'd been holding and stared around the dusty attic. It was large and most of it was filled with furniture and boxes, all covered in dustsheets. She had expected something else. Something more sinister, perhaps. Maybe she'd read ' _The Phantom of the Opera'_ too often. There were no dribbly candles, or a haunting air in the attic. It was just an old attic.

Her body deflated.

After putting the children to bed, her feet, had lead her to the west wing and up the stairs to the attic. The children had been talking more of their mother lately and Maria felt they should have something of hers. Even just a photograph. How could they not even have that?

Brigitta had of course told her it was locked, but when she had tested the door, it had swung open with ease. And nothing could have stopped her from climbing the steps and entering the dusty attic.

Wandering through the room, a shimmering light caught her eye and she made her way through, the sound of the wood underneath her feet creaking as she moved. At the back of the room was the most beautiful wedding dress Maria had ever seen in her life - not that she had exactly seen a lot. The moon was cutting through the large windows that were set high on the walls and illuminating the shimmering fabric. The mannequin it was on was faded and old but the dress was perfect. Even the veil looked perfectly preserved.

Moving closer she noticed the beads intricately woven into the dress, which was making it shimmer so much. With a careful hand, she leant closer to touch it.

" _What are you doing in here?"_

Maria spun around, her eyes wide as she took a step back and tripped over a box at the sight of the Captain standing before her.

Georg hadn't meant for it to come out in such a growl, but it had. A moment's peace was what he had needed. A small break from the persistent thoughts tumbling about his mind. But no, he could not even have that. The reason for his troubled mind was here, her hand mere inches from touching Agathe's wedding dress. A dress that brought such a rush of emotions he felt like he would burst if he lingered too long over them.

"I'm-" Fraulein Maria paused to steady herself on a nearby dresser. "I'm sorry."

"I told you never to come here," he snapped. "I distinctly recall telling you that there were certain parts of this house that were not to be disturbed." He sucked on his teeth, trying to quell his anger. "And I told you the other day not to come in here."

Georg moved closer, hearing his own feet tapping against the hard floor. He was aware she was frightened, but she damn well needed to learn. And it was just so much easier to get angry with her. To blame her for the thoughts he'd been having.

It was all her fault.

"I didn't mean any harm," said Fraulein Maria, her steps faltering as she drew herself up.

"Do you realise what you could have done?" he demanded, his voice a deadly hiss as he jerkily gestured with his head towards Agathe's dress.

"Captain," begun Maria in slightly pleading tones, "I honestly didn't mean any harm. Please. I-I-" She took a gulping breath. "The children just wanted something of their moth-"

"Get out," he said, in the same menacing tone.

"Please, I-"

"Get. Out."

"Captain, if you'll just listen," she tried, clasping her hands together.

Listen? Why should he listen? She never did. And it was _his_ house. _His_ children. _His_ memories she was disturbing with her impossible eyes and rosy lips.

"Please," she said firmly, sticking out her chin. "You can't keep her memory locked up here like some dirty secret." He watched as she clenched her fists. "They're children and all they want is something of their mother's, why is that so bad?"

That hurt, her words piercing his heart as effortlessly as a needle pulling thread. He took another step closer, looming over her. Trying to intimidate her. But she didn't back down, no, she was going to fight him with everything she had. Just like she had the day he'd come back from Vienna.

"I do not care to hear about this, you have no right-" he began but she spoke over him

"You must," she pleaded, her voice softer than before. "I understand it must be hard for you, losing your wife, but they lost their mother too."

She was watching him carefully, her blue eyes too much for him to bear so he broke eye contact. How did this woman manage to do this to him? He couldn't even look at her right now.

There was the sensation of a warm hand touching his wrist and he was sure he felt his heart stop. The jolt coursed right through him, seeming to light up every single nerve in his body. He wrenched his arm away and made the mistake of looking at her face. The look of pure concern on it was devastating.

On instinct, he went to reach for her - for what he wasn't really sure. To hold her? To kiss her? To push her away? He desperately needed her to stop talking and he desperately wanted – needed - something; his subconscious was floating too close to the top. But his better sense kicked in and he hastily dropped his hands and took a step back. But it was too late; the concerned look on her face had completely vanished to be replaced with something he knew all too well.

Fear.

"Get out now, Maria," he managed to say in a hoarse whisper.

She ran. And all Georg heard was the sound of the door slamming shut and her feet rushing down the stairs until there was another muffled bang as she ran through the second door. Then there was silence.

Clenching his hands, he drew in a deep breath and tried to think. But he couldn't.

Turning sharply, he marched out of the attic and made his way towards the main foyer. As he came thundering down the stairs, he saw Max, who was standing at the bottom on the staircase with a bottle of wine in one hand and a confused expression on his face.

"What happened?" Max asked, bewildered.

"Nothing!" snapped Georg, continuing to march down the staircase and across the foyer.

Following, Max glanced at his friend as he walked stiffly and silently into the study. He slowly closed the study door behind him while he watched Georg pour himself a drink.

"Hmm, nothing you say?" Max said as Georg downed the amber liquid in one large gulp. "I didn't realise 'nothing' required a double scotch."

Inhaling sharply through his nose, Georg rounded on Max and poked him in the chest. "Do not even start with me, Max, I am not in the mood for games."

"I'm not playing a game, Georg," Max said pleasantly. "But I just saw your little governess, practically on the verge of tears, running out onto the street."

Georg shrugged his shoulders and tried to feign indifference, but he couldn't deny the sharp stab of guilt. "So?"

Raising an eyebrow, Max said, "Did you say something to her?"

There was nothing but silence as Georg tried to busy himself with his drink.

"Did you _do_ something?"

At that, Georg slowly placed his drink on the desk with a resounding clack.

"What," Georg said scathingly, "is that supposed to mean?"

Max sighed. "Georg, you bicker with that girl on a daily basis but never have I seen her as upset as I did just now." Not letting the glare on his friend's face cow him, he went on, "She has dealt with your temper and impossible ways since being here but I thought, well-" Max scratched his nose awkwardly. "I don't _know_ what I thought. But I believed you at least had some respect for the girl."

Max watched carefully as his friend picked up the glass tumbler, refilled it and set it back down on the desk once more. He knew he had to be careful. Georg was like a wild beast sometimes. You could never tell how he would react. He was usually quite good at concealing his emotions, but Max had known him a long time and Georg seemed to fail completely in hiding his emotions when it came to women.

Not to say that he was an open book that any lovely lady could come along and simply pick up and read from cover to cover. But when Georg cared, he didn't do anything in half measures. And since Maria had told Max yesterday about her and Georg's little library adventure, he had been paying careful attention to the way Captain von Trapp interacted with his children's governess today.

And like he had said to Georg, he wasn't completely sure _what_ he thought. But he had an idea, or two, and they weren't good. At least, not for him and the lovely money… and definitely not for Elsa. However, it was possible that Georg just didn't want to lose a governess –another one – and one that the children actually liked. For some reason, Max had a hard time believing that was the reason Georg seemed to care so much.

Casting another glance at Georg, Max saw his eyes were unfocused and he was just staring unseeing at the top of his own desk.

"Georg!" said Max.

"What?"

Max shook his head. "It's getting late and you know Franz will lock the doors in an hour. Are you honestly telling me you are going to let her stay out there?"

Growling under his breath, Georg simply pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to sort his head out.

"Fine," he heard Max say. "I will go get our girl back and apologise to her for your awful behaviour." Max sighed. "Honestly, Georg, they call me a beast but you are far worse than I."

Running a hand through his hair, Georg gave an exasperated sigh. "No, I will go look for her. You stay here and make sure Elsa is entertained."

* * *

Pushing through the front door, Georg walked briskly out into the summer night. The air was warm and a light breeze tickled his face as he walked. As he reached the open gate, he stopped. He glanced down both ends of the long road and wondered where on earth she would have gone. There were no mountains here but there was the lake, the same one that ran through the back of the villa. So, he took a left and walked down the dark road. The moon was full and bright, illuminating his path along with a few lamps that flickered sporadically in the darkness.

He was distracted when he heard the muffled sounds of movement, the sound of a woman yelling and a thud to his right. Crossing the road, he headed towards the stretch of grass and trees that ran along the bank of the lake. As he neared, he was met with the vision of Fraulein Maria shuffling backwards desperately on her hands as a man towered over her.

Without thinking, Georg was moving quicker, adrenaline kicking in as he stepped between her and the man, and gave the man a sharp punch in the nose that caused him to stumble back. As he fell Georg caught sight of another man, though Georg realised that they both looked quite young, who came tearing towards him.

But Georg was quicker, and he hastily grabbed both of the man's arms and sharply twisted them so they pressed into the man's back at an uncomfortable angle. He hadn't done this sort of thing in so long. And even then, it had been in training. But it had been so ingrained into him, to learn how to fight in combat, that his body did without thinking. It was all reflex.

"Go," he commanded, pushing the drunk youth into the ground next to his friend. "I never want to see either of you here again."

One just glared at him, tugging on his jacket as he righted himself.

"We were just keeping the lady company," he slurred.

"You are not fit company for any lady," Georg said, who had also noticed the pin underneath the lapel of the man's jacket. It was the symbol of Hitler and Georg clenched his fists.

There were more of them these days. Usually they huddled in secret, never revealing anything. But the younger ones didn't care. Especially when drunk. It made Georg sick. This was not his home anymore. This had not been what he had fought for.

"Captain!" came the urgent cry from Fraulein Maria.

Twisting around to face the governess, Georg went to open his mouth to speak but instead of words, a hiss air was all that escaped his gritted teeth. There had been a third man that Georg hadn't noticed and he had managed to sink a knife into Georg's arm. The pain blossomed sharp and hot but he managed to move in front of Fraulein Maria so the attacker couldn't hit her.

Summoning all of his strength, Georg grabbed the attacking man's hand and kicked him forcibly in the chest. The man tried again to slice at Georg agan but he'd been winded by the blow to the chest and so he missed, which let Georg grab him by the scruff of the neck with his uninjured arm and hurl him towards the other two drunkards.

"Leave now!" he ordered.

The men scarpered, each one holding onto the other to try and get away as quickly as possible. The rush of adrenaline that had been coursing through Georg's veins, slowly dwindled and he became painfully aware of the insistent throbbing in his arm and the light-headedness that was suddenly overtaking him. He staggered, clutching at his arm when he felt Fraulein Maria move towards him.

"Captain, you've lost a lot of blood," he heard her say.

Her mind on autopilot, Maria grabbed the bottom of her dress and tore off a long strip of fabric so she could wrap it around the Captain's arm. She tried to ignore the amount of blood that was on him, and now on her, as she finished tying it securely. She just had to focus on getting him back the to villa.

Grabbing his other arm, she pulled it around her shoulders and gently nudged him back towards the road. Maria glanced up at him through her lashes as they walked, his face was pale and his shirt and jacket were covered in dark red blossoms of blood. Her heart had finally calmed down, and she was finally able to think a little more clearly now that the fear had ebbed away.

She knew she shouldn't have run off like that. While Maria had felt, both in her head and her heart, that the Captain wouldn't have hurt her, it had been hard to shake the image of him lunging towards her. It had reminded her too strongly of her uncle when he'd had too much to drink. Both him and her aunt had been awful people, they had been the reason she had escaped into the world of stories. Those memories were something she didn't want to be reminded of, and certainly not by the Captain.

He had told her not to pry, and she had been told by multiple people not to go into the attic. But did Maria listen? No.

She had to think she was the big heroine that needed to rescue everyone – even the bad tempered master of the house. All she had wanted was something for the children, though, so they didn't have to sneak around. Her thoughts were interrupted when they finally reached the open gates of the vila.

With a sigh of relief, Maria helped the Captain across the gravel drive and up to front door. Once inside the house, she lead him into his study and made him sit down on the lounge in front of the unlit fire. Hurrying out to the bathroom to grab the emergency first aid kit, she nearly ran into Max.

"Good God, what happened to you?" he asked, his face utterly horrified.

Realising she must have looked a fright with her blood and grass stained dress, she spoke quickly. "The Captain was attacked by some Nazi thugs, I think he will be all right but he bled a fair amount."

"I will go fetch some hot water and towels for you," said Max who marched off in the direction of the kitchen.

Quickly grabbing the supplies from the bathroom, Maria headed back to the study. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and slowly walked towards the Captain. She had never seen a proper fight before. And it was something she never wished to witness ever again. But seeing the Captain move the way he had, had been mesmerising, the sheer strength that lay underneath those finely tailored suits was undeniable. He had picked up that man like he weighed no more than Maria. She was still mad at him, but he had saved her life. Undeniably so.

Approaching him slowly, she lay out the kit on the large coffee table and turned to face him. "Are you feeling all right, Captain?"

"I have been better, Fraulein," he replied shortly. "Being stabbed isn't something I prefer to do in my spare time."

Before she could respond, Max breezed in with a large bowl of hot water and a few towels. He moved over to the drinks cabinet, and poured three glasses of scotch.

"Here," Max said, as Georg took the drink.

Downing it in one go, he let the drink burn his throat. "Where is Elsa?" he asked Max.

"She's in the parlour," Max said. "Do you want me to get her?"

"No," Georg said hastily. "Please, go keep her company, I do not want her to know – at least not right now."

Max tossed his own drink back and passed the third glass to Fraulein Maria. Georg heard her protest but Max was all ready shoving it into her hands and telling her it would help.

"Are you sure, Georg?" Max asked, looking curiously at the governess. "What do you want me to tell her?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Georg said, wincing as he shifted on the lounge. "Tell her I'm indisposed and I will make it up to her tomorrow."

"All right," Max said slowly. "Maria, do let me know if you need any help at all."

Maria nodded, still holding the drink, and watched him leave, shutting the study door behind him.

"Captain…" Maria said hesitantly as she sat down on the lounge next to him - though taking care to sit only as close as needed.

"What?" he snapped.

"You need to take your jacket and, uh, shirt off," she said, unable to stop her face from going pink. "So I can clean the cut properly."

"It's fine," he bit out, grimacing as his arm throbbed. "I can see a doctor tomorrow morning."

"Captain, it needs to be cleaned properly or else it will get infected," Maria said.

"Fine."

Leaning forward, he shrugged out of the jacket, wincing as he did. The whole top of his arm where the knife had cut him burned. He managed to pull off his tie but as he went to undo the buttons, his arm throbbed and he failed, miserably, with one hand to undo the buttons of his shirt.

Closing his eyes briefly, he sat back and said, "I can't undo them with one hand."

"Oh," Maria said, looking at the drink in her hand.

"Just drink it, Fraulein," Georg said irritably. "It'll be good for the shock."

Without another thought, she swallowed it quickly, and then began spluttering. She saw the Captain smirk at her while she clutched at her chest as she coughed.

"Hurry up."

She shot him a scowl before she dropped her eyes to his shirt. Maria reached out and undid the buttons, trying her very best not to look at the skin that was slowly being revealed underneath. But it was a losing fight. She knew this. It's no different than if one of the children had hurt themselves, she tried to tell herself. But it was different, it was as different as different could possibly be.

It wasn't that she had never noticed he was handsome and obviously in good shape, it was just that she hadn't really thought about it. It hadn't mattered to her what he looked like underneath his buttoned up suits. She hadn't cared. But right now it was certainly difficult to ignore the affect it was having on her.

"Fraulein!" Georg said, cutting through Maria's haze.

She'd been taking far too long, fumbling her way down his torso. Maybe she was still frightened of him and her nerves were causing her to take so long. Whatever the reason, it was driving Georg to the brink. He tried staring at the ceiling, trying to forget the his governess was undressing him. But it was pointless.

His traitorous brain, that seemed to delight in thinking of nothing but inappropriate thoughts about Fraulein Maria, conjured up the lovely image of her undressing him in a much more desirable situation. And that her hands would be fumbling because she was too desperate, too wanting, for him. And it was so easy to imagine. With the feel of her hands working their way down his shirt, he could picture her -

 _Stop_ , he ordered himself. Deciding that staring at the ceiling was not helping with his wild imagination, he looked down and watched her fingers. But it really wasn't any better. Instead he tried to focus on thinking about Max with nothing but a pink feather boa. He nearly vomited at the thought.

Finally Maria had released all the buttons and then she helped him undo the cuffs as well so he could take the shirt off. The left sleeve was drenched in blood and she tossed the shirt on top of the ruined jacket. Grabbing a small cloth, she wet it in the hot water and then wrung it out carefully. Turning back to face him, she tried to keep calm but her heart pounded in her chest at the sight of her employer naked from the waist up.

No matter how many times I pray, Maria thought, I'm never going to forget this.

There was a dusting of dark hair over his chest, and she certainly couldn't deny how evidently fit he was. It was clear from the way he had fought that he had strength, but seeing his muscles move underneath his skin was something else entirely. She felt her traitorous face flush with heat again.

Dragging her eyes away from his chest, she placed the cloth on his arm and wiped some of the blood away before she started to clean the wound.

"Just hold still," Maria said gently.

"That hurts," the Captain hissed, flinching and moving his arm away on instinct.

She went to do it again but he moved his arm away from her once more, forcing her to come closer to him on the lounge so her knee leant again his.

"If you'd hold still it wouldn't hurt as much," Maria retorted and he stayed still as she went to clean it once more.

She placed slightly more pressure than necessary onto the deep cut and the Captain winced, and Maria instantly chided herself for her childlike behaviour. He had rescued her, even if it was his fault in the first place.

"Well if you hadn't have run away," the Captain snapped, "this wouldn't have happened."

Maria looked up from his arm to glare at him. "If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!"

Georg opened his mouth to respond but closed it immediately, unable to think of anything reasonable to say. It was _her_ fault.

"You shouldn't have gone into the attic," he said haughtily, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his arm.

"You should learn to control your temper!"

"So should you!"

They both stared at each other and an awkward silence fell. Georg felt her continue to gently clean his arm and tried to keep his mind focused on the pain so he couldn't let his thoughts stray - again.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said slowly and he fixed his gaze on her once more. "Forgive me."

"I do," Maria said quietly. "I'm sorry for going where I wasn't supposed to. I should not have intruded like that."

Gritting his teeth, Georg tried to stay still as she wiped his arm down once more.

"Now, hold still," she said, grabbing the antiseptic. "This might sting a little."

Maria heard him hiss through his teeth as she applied the ointment on his arm, when she was done she then carefully began to wrap his bicep with a clean bandage. She moved efficiently, but with care, and couldn't help but delight in the feel of his arm under her fingers. I should not be thinking like this, she told herself, I'm going to be a nun _. A nun, a nun, a nun._

Georg, who had been staring at the empty fireplace, turned his head to watch her as she worked. He had seen those same hands wrap bandages on Friedrich's ankle after a tussle or seen her smooth a plaster on a small cut after Gretl had a misadventure through a rose bush. And he could remember being unreasonably jealous when she had leant down and kissed the cut on Gretl's hand after. A small, ridiculous, bubble of hope emerged that maybe she might kiss his arm better, or maybe give him a kiss on the forehead or – _no_. Don't even go there, he told himself. Clearly the loss of blood was making him think utterly stupid things – even though he knew full well that these thoughts were not new. She's going to be a nun, he reminded himself. _A nun, a nun, a nun._

As Maria placed the last bandage in place, she said softly, "All done."

Unable to trust his own voice, Georg merely nodded as she stood up and smoothed her dress down. Now that he was finally able to look at her properly, he could see her dress was smeared with blood and grass strains, and the hem was torn and fraying. She was staring at him with such concern in her blue eyes he was momentarily stunned. And there was something else in those wide eyes; she'd never looked at him that way before

Clearing his throat, he said, "Please, get changed and go to bed." He gave her a small smile. "Thank you, for your help. Even though I do not deserve it."

"'Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us,'" Maria quoted, giving the Captain one of her stupidly wholesome smiles. "The cut wasn't as bad as it appeared, the knife must not have been that big. I think you'll survive."

After leaving the Captain in his study, Maria had returned the medical kit back to the bathroom and retreated back to her room. Stepping out of her dress, she held it up and looked at it forlornly. She sighed. It had been one of her favourite dresses that she had made but it was completely ruined now and so she folded it carefully before placing aside to throw out later.

Stripping the rest of her clothes off, she stepped into the bathroom and into the hot shower she had running. Letting the warm water soak through her skin, she let it wash away the dirt and blood that had managed to cake on her skin. She could still smell the sharp scent of the blood and she watched it as it ran down the drain. Seeing the Captain so hurt had made her chest ache. And hurt because of her. It had been like something from one of Brigitta's fairy tale books, the way he had rescued her. Though, it was true that he's no Prince Charming. Part of her still reeled from the confrontation in the attic, he had just been so angry with her. While she knew he wouldn't hurt her, she still did not understand his strange reaction to her when she had touched his wrist. The look in his eyes had been unreadable, and not just due to the lack of light in the attic. She'd seen anger, disdain, irritation and a multitude of other negative emotions flung her way before. But his eyes had been different, something new and alarming. There was something in him that she simply hadn't seen before.

* * *

 **A/N** This chapter is mostly "But He Was Mean", which was the initial story I wrote and the reason why I am writing this one. I have made a few minor changes and chucked in different perspectives so that it's not exactly the same as the original story. But I didn't want it to have to be that you needed to read that story to read this one, so there will be a lot of repeated scenes. I hope you enjoy it anyway.


	8. Almost Kind

Chapter Eight: Almost Kind

The sun was filtering through the curtains as birds chirped happily outside. It was another beautiful day in Salzburg.

However, Elsa gave no damns to what the weather was like as she finished pinning her hair. She had missed breakfast – she normally did – as she had no urge to get up early and listen to the boisterous children and their unruly governess.

She had been disappointed that Georg had been unable to join her and Max last night. At least Max was always good company. But still, she was feeling a little neglected, which was something Elsa Schraeder was not used to feeling. After the embarrassment of last week, Elsa had been furious with Georg, but he had managed to make it up to her with a little lavish affair with a few friends. Casting a glance along the dressing table, she picked up the glittering diamond necklace he'd given her and placed it carefully around her neck.

Max had told her that Georg had been indisposed and that he'd make it up to her. Well, it had better be good, she thought, as she rose from her seat and cast one last glance in the mirror before she left the room.

It was frustrating trying to have to compete for Georg's attention. She had never had to do such a thing in Vienna – Georg had barely even mentioned his children! The last thing she'd heard from him about them before they left was him possibly considering sending the brats off to a proper boarding school. But all of a sudden he was now with them all the time and if he wasn't with them, he was talking of them all of time – and it was all because of that little nun. Elsa paused at the bottom of the grand staircase.

That girl was certainly like no governess Elsa had had, or seen, before. It was so undignified! And the way she spoke to Georg was positively beastly.

As she reached Georg's study and knocked on the door and entered, her thoughts were stopped short. The room was empty. With a puzzled frown, she left the room and went about the villa in search of the man. After searching a few usual rooms for Georg, she was left feeling even more frustrated. Where was he? Max had said last night that he would make it up to her and now he was nowhere to be found! With an annoyed huff, she made a beeline for the terrace where she had spotted Max lounging.

"Max," she called out as she approached.

"Mmm?"

"Where is Georg?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. "I've been searching for him everywhere and I can't find him."

Max hesitated. He had no idea how Elsa would react to the news of last night. True to his word to Georg, he had not informed Elsa as to what had happened with the governess and the attack. He had simply told the elegant woman that the Captain had retired for the evening and would make it up to her.

"Ah…" said Max. "He's a little under the weather."

"He seemed perfectly fine after dinner, Max," said Elsa, recalling the feel of his hands on her waist.

"It was quite a sudden attack," said Max, nodding to himself. It was a true statement. It just wasn't perfectly honest.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me something, darling."

Max sighed. "I just didn't want you to worry, Elsa."

"Worry?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Max sat up straighter in his chair. "Georg was attacked last night."

Elsa's hand flew to her chest. "What happened? Is he all right?" _Is his face all right?_

"He went outside…" Max trailed off as he tried to think of a valid reason Georg would be outside. "For a walk. And he was attacked by some drunken youths. Part of that Nazi group. He was attacked with a knife."

"Oh, my…" said Elsa, collapsing into a chair. "I cannot believe you didn't tell me!"

"He didn't want you to worry," replied Max soothingly.

Elsa let a smile spread across her lips. Of course he wouldn't want her to worry. He was such a gentleman. Her smile faltered as she fully took in what Max had said.

"I have told him not to be so against the political flow," she said. "He never listens."

"I bet he loved that."

"Yes, well…" Elsa cleared her throat and stood up. She wiped a non-existent tear from her eye and sucked in a dramatic breath. "I'm going to go check on him, my poor Georg."

* * *

Mathilde Schmidt bustled. She tried to be calm and to take her time. But seeing that poor boy all pale had made her heart ache. She didn't care if he was forty-six, he would always be the same boy who pulled his sister hair and caused his parents to ship him off to the naval academy. Georg von Trapp never looked helpless. She'd only seen him look it once, and that had been when dear Agathe had taken ill and the doctor had told the Captain that she wouldn't have much longer to live. Mathilde would never forget his face. It was the reason she had stuck by, whistles and all.

She fluffed a pillow absentmindedly and ignored the scowl on her employer's face.

"Frau Schmidt, there is no need for all this fuss," said Georg, shifting awkwardly in his bed.

He was sitting upright, slightly propped up by a million pillows as a Doctor Herz finished placing a fresh bandage around Georg's injured arm. The doctor was starting to get on Georg's nerves; he was fairly young and not Georg's usual physician. With his blonde hair and infuriating bubbly attitude, Georg thought he should have been an actor in one of those horrible theatre troupes that came around during the spring and summer festivals.

"Now, Georg," said the doctor with an irritatingly charming grin. "You will need to rest up for a few days – just a few. You lost a fair amount of blood and that wound looked quite nasty. It wasn't very deep but there is a lot of bruising. I've given Frau Schmidt an ideal meal plan for the moment, just to get you back up and running."

The doctor patted Georg on the shoulder. He wished Doctor Folke had been free to see him, but no, he hadn't been and so this overgrown schoolboy had been sent instead.

"I'll make sure it's all done, Doctor," said Frau Schmidt, giving the Captain a smile. "We will get you out of this bed in no time, Captain."

"Thank you," said Georg, hating how pathetic his voice sounded. The doctor had injected him with something, and whatever it was, it was starting to make him feel decidedly sluggish. Though, it was certainly helping with the pain.

"Now, you will need to get that bandage changed twice a day – morning and night," continued the doctor. "I've left cream and antiseptic in the bathroom, Captain, but you will need help. I'm sure Frau Schmidt won't mind."

There was a polite knock on the door before it opened a fraction and Fraulein Maria poked her head in. All three of them turned to look at her.

"Uhh," said Maria. "Sorry, I just wanted to see-"

"Come in, come in!" said Doctor Herz jovially, walking up to Maria and taking her hand. "I was just telling the Captain he will need to have his bandages changed twice a day. I suggested Frau Schmidt help him, but of course you can do it." He beamed at her.

"Me?" asked Maria, slightly bewildered.

"Yes," said the Doctor, his happy smile fading somewhat as he looked between Maria and the Captain. "I'm sorry, aren't you Baroness von Trapp?"

Maria's heart sped up without her permission and she hastily avoided looking at the Captain.

"Oh," said Maria slowly. "I'm not the Baroness, I'm the children's governess." With her eyes fixed on the doctor, she realised that he was fairly attractive. He had such a lovely smile that she couldn't help but return it.

"Yes, our dear Maria was the one that made sure the Captain's arm was cleaned and wrapped last night," interjected Frau Schmidt with a warm smile aimed at Maria. "And I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving me a hand."

"Ahh," said the doctor, not one to be dismayed. "No worries, then. Fraulein, I'm sure you'll continue to be a help and someone can let Baroness von Trapp know too."

"There is no Baroness von Trapp," interjected Georg with a growl, not liking the way Fraulein Maria had smiled at the idiot doctor. "She died." He felt his heart clench as he said the words. "Did Lucas – Doctor Folke - not tell you this?" He was sick of this man, he didn't care if he had the magical drugs with him, Georg just wanted him out of his room. Actually he wanted everyone out of his room. Except the governess, a little voice in his head said. He gripped the sheet in frustration.

The smile on the doctor's face faltered. "Uh, maybe. I'm sorry – so many patients. I apologise, Captain." The happy smile returned. "But this lady did do a marvellous job last night, you're very lucky Captain von Trapp."

Sensing that the Captain was close to exploding, Frau Schmidt hastily ushered the doctor out of the room and downstairs.

Maria just stood awkwardly by the end of the Captain's bed, her eyes darting around the room rapidly. It was such a large room, and she had expected it to be like the study, all dark wood and rich leather. But it was like most of the house. Cheerfully upholstered in shades of cream and yellow, with large windows and even a balcony. There were a few closed doors, two on one side and a third on the other. And she couldn't deny her curiosity about what lay behind them.

Her eyes finally landed back on the Captain, his face was quite pale and he was watching her – though she noted his eyes looked heavy. She was also aware of the fact that he had no shirt on; she fixed her eyes on a spot above his head.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Captain," Maria began. "But I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I'm just fine, Fraulein," Georg managed to say. "You should return to the children." She nodded and turned to leave, but he called out to her and she spun around to face him once more. "Though, you will return here after the children have gone to bed. Just because I am confined to my room does not mean you get to slack off."

Maria just smiled and resisted the urge to roll her eyes; he was certainly going to be fine if he had enough energy to patronize her. In an odd way, it made her happy. "Of course, Captain."

Turning, she made her way back to the door but it swung open dramatically, nearly whacking Maria in the face. It was Baroness Schraeder, her face the perfect picture of concern.

"Georg-!"

Elsa stopped suddenly, a hand pressed to her forehead. The governess was standing in Georg's bedroom. She resisted the urge to narrow her eyes and purse her lips. What the hell was she doing in here?

"Fraulein Maria, what are you doing in here?" she asked sweetly, lowering her hand.

Maria hesitated before rallying with a smile. "I was just leaving – I just wanted to make sure the Captain was all right." With that, she quickly fled out of the room.

Elsa watched her leave before turning her attention to Georg. All thoughts of the governess left as she took in his appearance, he looked awful. Though, she mused, he wasn't wearing very much clothing and it certainly was a lovely view of his chest. At least they hadn't mutilated him, she thought. She walked over to his side and sat carefully on the edge of the bed, careful not to crumple her dress.

"Darling, I just heard from Max about last night," she said, placing a hand on his arm and completely ignoring the wince it elicited from him. "Oh, I can't believe it!"

"Elsa," said Georg gently, removing her hand from his injured arm. "I will be just fine, there is nothing to worry about. Just a minor cut."

"You were stabbed!"

"And I will be fine," Georg insisted.

Laying a hand on his chest, Elsa leant forward and hurriedly covered his lips with her own. She was abruptly pushed away, and she couldn't help the way her brow creased in frustration.

"Georg!"

"I'm not fit for company now, Elsa," said Georg, struggling to right himself. "While the doctor has given me quite a dose of pain medication, it is still uncomfortable." He didn't want to be rude, but the feel of Elsa on him had caused his body to complain. And it wasn't just due to the pain. He just didn't want her around him right now.

With a graceful sigh, Elsa smoothed her skirts and stood up. "I apologise, darling, I just thought you might want some… comfort." She smiled at him winningly and couldn't help but notice his less than enthusiastic response. But she waved the thought away, he was clearly too drugged right now to be in his right mind.

It had nothing to do with her. Naturally.

* * *

"' _Franz do this, Franz do that!'"_

Thud.

" _Ugh!"_

Sofia paused, her feather duster held loosely in one hand as she cleaned a small statue. Brow furrowing, she pushed her hair out of her face and made her way towards the source of the noise. However, her feet came skidding to a halt as she realised the direction she was heading in – towards the west wing.

The doors were open to the main hall of the forbidden wing and she could hear the sound of Franz's angry outburst accompanied by more thuds. She nearly screamed when the butler himself came hurrying through the entryway, narrowly avoiding running straight into her.

"What are you doing, Sofia?" he demanded.

"I heard all the noise," she said, her eyes drawn to the box in his arms. "What are you doing in the west wing – we aren't allowed in there! I'm not even allowed to clean that part of the house." She gestured with the feather duster wildly. "And I'm sure it could use a good clean!"

"I am head of household," said Franz, his nose in the air. "I do not need to explain myself to you."

Sofia frowned. "I thought Frau Schmidt was."

The man just glared at her. "I am certainly higher up the food chain than you." He sniffed. "Anyway, I'm sure you heard about what happened last night."

Sofia nodded, of course she did. She was a housemaid after all, and if the household staff didn't know what was going on, well, they weren't very good at being household staff.

"I did," she said in tones of excitement. "I heard he lost a lot of blood."

"And apparently all his senses too," muttered Franz. "He wants me to take things out of the attic – _out_ of it!" Franz readjusted his grip on the box. "And he now wants the whole wing cleaned up." He muttered something under his breath and then he focused his attention back on Sofia, shoving the box in her arms. "Here, you take these into the study and clean them. I will be back for them later."

The man walked off back into the wing, still grumbling under his breath. Sofia looked at the box in her arms and saw the scribbled "photos" written on the side. In a rush, she was down the foyer and hurriedly pushing into the Captain's study.

* * *

It was unbelievable, but yet there it was for the eye to see.

Maria stared at the large bookshelf that lined one wall of the nursery. It was filled with books, toys and other learning equipment, but now, it also had two beautifully framed portraits. One was of a newly wedded couple, and Maria had recognised the man instantly; it was the Captain (albeit much younger than the one she knew now), but she had also recognised the woman instantly too. The wedding dress she was wearing was the same one in the attic, but that hadn't been the reason Maria had known it was the late Baroness von Trapp so easily. It was the set of her eyes, the smile on her face, the tilt of her nose. It was everything. She could see bits and pieces of the children in that face, in the way she held herself.

"She's beautiful," Maria breathed.

"Isn't she?" said Liesl with a small smile on her face. "She was beautiful both inside and out."

"She had the prettiest laugh," said Brigitta.

"Yeah," agreed Friedrich.

There was a comfortable silence as all the children, and Maria, stood staring at the wedding photo. Then her eyes slid over to the one next to it, it was a family portrait, and though there were only six children present in the photo, Maria could see the swell of the Baroness's stomach that indicated little Gretl was along the way. The children all looked so young and Maria had instantly felt a surge within her heart that she wished she could have seen them when they were small. They all looked so happy, each one smiling. Even the Captain had a slight quirk of the lips, and Maria had noted all the shining medals adorned on his official uniform.

"Is Father going to be okay?" asked Marta, clutching at Maria's dress and staring up at her with her doll like eyes.

Maria nodded and gave the little girl a reassuring smile. "Of course he is."

"He didn't seem okay," said Brigitta, her voice unsure.

"Don't worry, he's a big naval hero," said Liesl, she pointed at the family portrait. "He was even decorated by the emperor."

"I know…" said Brigitta.

Maria sighed, this morning she'd taken the children in to visit their father and it had been awful. The man had barely been able to form a coherent sentence - whatever that doctor had given him had knocked most of his senses out. Marta had started to cry and so she had hurriedly ushered them out of the room and back into the nursery for lessons. But they hadn't been able to focus. It had been a gift from God when Franz had come in and, with great ceremony, placed the two photographs on the shelf.

There was a jovial knock on the door and Max came sauntering in.

"What with all the glum faces?" he asked.

"Father is sick," said Gretl in a small voice.

Max waved a hand. "He's not sick, he just had a little accident. He will be just fine. Come now, I've seen your father fight through worse things than some little scratch!

The children all looked disbelieving between Maria and Max.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked.

"No," said Louisa.

Max grinned. "Clever girl! Though, this is one thing you can trust your old uncle on." He clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Now, I do have a little surprise for you all downstairs in the ballroom."

"That sounds wonderful, " said Maria gratefully, thankful for anything to try and get the children in better spirits. "Let's go see, children!"

* * *

Several hours later, Maria was walking down past the nursery, past the children's rooms and towards the master wing of the house. In her arms were a small pile of books and she was gripping them desperately.

It was the third time today she'd walked down this corridor, and this morning it had been easier. She'd been so filled with worry about whether the Captain was all right or not that she hadn't really thought about the fact that she was entering a part of the house that a governess should definitely not be in. And the second, she'd been accompanying the children to see their father, perfectly acceptable.

Now that the immediate danger of him bleeding to death was over, she was now in a nervous state. Unable to push the thoughts of last night aside, she'd spent most of the day worrying about being alone with him again. Whatever she'd seen in his eyes last night had certainly been alarming, it had made something sputter to life within her. She couldn't identify it, but it made her feel slightly nauseous in a strangely delightful way.

With a shake of her head, she knocked on the door awkwardly until she heard the command to enter. Once inside, she used her hip to shut the door and walked over towards the large bed, giving the Captain a small smile as she did.

"Good evening, Captain," she said politely, placing the books on a bedside table.

"Good evening, Fraulein."

She gestured to the books. "I thought you might like something to read." At his raised eyebrow, she added, "And don't worry, I didn't pick out anything ridiculous, all perfectly sensible." She managed to grin. "All right, mostly sensible. But I think a little romance might do you some good. The children helped, too."

Georg eyed the books on the table and resisted the urge to smile at her. It had been kind of her to do that. Elsa hadn't bothered to ask him if he needed anything and certainly wouldn't do anything for him without being asked. After he'd shut down her advances this morning, she'd said something about going to town with Max and left him bored and alone.

Noticing that that the little fraulein was watching him expectantly, he gestured with a jut of his chin to a plush armchair in the corner of the room.

"You can bring that over here," he said as he tried to sit up straighter in his bed.

It was such a ridiculous situation. And, it was inappropriate for her to be in his room. But she was going to be a nun, and she was the governess to his children. He needed to be kept up to date on their schooling.

This is what he'd been repeating to himself all day. It was all for the children. It had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted her company. No, not at all. He'd also told himself that it had been his decision to take the photos out of the attic, it had nothing to do with what she'd said.

Right.

Taking her seat, Maria fidgeted a bit before placing her clasped hands in her lap. She felt awkward. She missed having his huge desk between them, having that distance had kept things respectable. She could practically hear the voice of Sister Berthe screaming that this was anything but respectable. But she told her thoughts to be quiet; the man had a right to know about his children.

"Captain," said Maria. "I just…I-I never thanked you for saving my life."

Georg blinked as he watched her face. "Well," he said, unable to help the smirk that tugged at his lips, "I never thanked you for not leaving me to bleed to death."

The governess gave him the biggest smile at his words, allowing some of the tension to ease, and he couldn't explain the pull it conjured inside of him. The pull told him – no, begged him – to make her smile again, or better yet, to make her laugh.

He mentally shook himself and cleared his throat.

"So," he said in careful tones, "what have you been doing with my children today?"

"Well," said Maria. She let out a little huff of air. "I won't lie, Captain, we didn't get through as much as I would have liked." She fixed her eyes on him, the blue stare holding him without effort. "They were just so worried about you, that's all. Especially the little ones – we, Herr Detweiler and I, told them it was just an accident and you'd be okay but I don't think they really believed us." She awkwardly pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "They wanted to do something for you – to make you feel better."

"That… that is very kind of them," said Georg, who was still unable to grasp the fact that his children would want to do such a thing for him after all his neglect towards them. "And they can come see me tomorrow, I should be looking less-" He gestured flippantly with his hand."- frightening. I don't want them to worry unnecessarily."

"I know you don't, Captain," said Maria gently. "But I think they-" She stopped, unsure whether or not she should continue and instead settled for just shifting in her chair and avoiding his eye.

"Yes, Fraulein?" asked Georg, watching as her eyes darted nervously around the room before her eyes landed on the small framed photo on the dresser. He'd had Frau Schmidt bring it to his room earlier. It was just a simple photo of Agathe, from when they'd first met, and he noticed the way Fraulein Maria's eyes seemed to be glued to it. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say and so he said, "They are worried they will lose me like they lost their mother?"

The governess just stared at him a while before her shoulders sagged. "Yes, they are."

With a curt nod, Georg said nothing. He could imagine his children's faces when they'd been told he was unwell. The way they had looked when he had told them about Agathe was something forever burned into his mind. What had been worse had been Marta, who had only been two, constantly asking for her mother – not understanding that she was never coming.

When they'd all shuffled in earlier this morning, he'd been so doped up on pain easing medication he'd been unable to tell the difference between Liesl and Kurt. All he could really recall was the sound of Fraulein Maria's voice assuring them that their father would be getting better very soon and that he was a little woozy today.

"Fraulein Maria," he said suddenly, his mind made up with new resolve. "I want you to do your best while I am indisposed to keep their spirits up." She opened her mouth, knowing her it was probably to ask a stream of questions, but he simply held up a silencing hand. "No questions, you are the governess, not me, and I am placing you in full command." He smirked at her. "Though, there is to be no misadventures in the lake."

"Yes, sir."

There was a polite knock on the door and the housekeeper walked in, she didn't seem fazed to see Maria sitting there at all. The woman walked over to one of the doors and pushed through and then a moment later returned, a bandage in her arms. The door shut before Maria could see into it.

"Sorry, but I need to change this," said the housekeeper, giving them both a warm smile. "Fraulein Maria, would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Oh, um, of course not," said Maria, getting out of her seat and trying to hide the smile on her face as the housekeeper prodded the Captain into a better position.

"Just take that one off, dear," said Frau Schmidt to Maria as she bustled around.

Awkwardly sitting on the edge of the bed, Maria slowly unwrapped the old bandage and as she peeled it away, she couldn't help the guilt that filled her stomach as she saw his arm. It was covered in blossoming bruises and the cut looked angry, the red line tearing across his skin. Her fingers reached out to touch it lightly, not even thinking about what she was doing.

"Does it hurt?" asked Maria, still absorbed in tracing the pattern with her fingertips.

Georg had been staring at her, utterly dumbfounded, while she had taken the bandage off and touched his arm. It hadn't even been that she was touching him, it had been how she done it. With such care and concern, the light touch had warmed something in his chest. And now her blue eyes were fixed on him, and he could clearly see the concern on her lovely face.

"It's not too bad right now," he managed to say. "It hurts if I touch it, and if I move too quickly."

The girl hastily pulled her hand away. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Captain."

 _No, no, no, no,_ a voice cried in his head. You didn't hurt me, he wanted to say. But he was very aware of the housekeeper standing there.

"Not a problem."

Frau Schmidt, who had been watching them both as she busied herself, tried to stop the smile that was threatening to stretch across her face. It wasn't her place to comment, or to have an opinion. But she'd seen the look on the Captain's face. She filed it away to think on later.

"Here," she said, passing the ointment to Fraulein Maria. "Just spread that over the area and then you can put the new one on." She watched as the girl, very carefully, covered the man's bicep with the ointment. "Now just wrap the fresh bandage around and it's all done."

Avoiding looking at the Captain, Maria finished the task and then stood up, taking a step back as she did.

"Well done, Fraulein Maria," said the housekeeper, patting her on the shoulder. The housekeeper paused. "Since you will be seeing the Captain about the children each night, would you mind doing that for me? I can do it in the morning, but it would be a great help for me."

"Of course, Frau Schmidt," said Maria. "Only if the Captain doesn't mind."

"You haven't killed me yet," muttered Georg, trying to get comfortable in the bed.

Fraulein Maria snorted. "I doubt I could, Captain." She threw him a large smile. "Goodnight, I will bring in the children tomorrow morning before their lessons, if that's okay."

"Yes, yes," said Georg. "Goodnight, Fraulein."

He watched her leave and then turned to the housekeeper, who was staring at him with a slightly bemused smile.

"Yes, Mathilde?" he asked.

"Nothing, Captain," said Frau Schmidt. "I was just wondering what on earth you would do without that girl."

Indeed, thought Georg.

* * *

 **A/N** Another long chapter for this one, but lots to fit in! Also, I'm just making up stuff in relation to his wound as I go, for the sake of narrative and awkward tension.


	9. But Now He's Dear

Chapter Nine: But Now He's Dear

Georg was certain he'd lost his mind. When he'd awoken, there had been a small spider, spinning a lazy web, in one corner of the ceiling and he'd spent the better part of an hour watching it. He'd even named it.

He'd been saved from his boredom when a polite knock on the door had announced the arrival of Frau Schmidt to change his bandage. His happiness had been short lived as she hadn't been alone; the idiot doctor was with her.

Thankfully his visit had been short, and he'd also given Georg another dose of medication – albeit a lesser dose this time. Still, the mere sight of the man had made Georg's jaw lock in irritation. How could someone be so enthusiastic all the live-long day?

A voice in his head reminded him that Fraulein Maria was happy most of the time, but then another chimed in that she at least had the decency to get angry, or annoyed, like any other decent human being.

It didn't seem to matter how biting or rude Georg was, Doctor Herz chattered away, clearly not bothered by the grumpy sea captain he was attending to. After the doctor had left, the children, and Elsa, had then come to visit him while the governess waited outside. He'd heard the sound of Gretl's voice outside his door trying to coerce Fraulein Maria into coming with them but he'd heard her gentle voice telling him that it was just family that was to see him.

The children had seemed in better spirits since he'd seen them yesterday, and he was certain he looked much more human today – at least he could form a coherent sentence – but they'd still been awkward. It had taken him only two seconds to notice how Louisa wasn't paying him any attention but silently glaring at Elsa – who had perched herself on the edge of his bed and grabbed his hand – while she gossiped on.

Once he'd been able to get her to leave the children had finally come to life, offering him get well cards and even a cake with 'Papa' in wobbly icing written on it. They'd talked excitedly and he'd even let Marta and Gretl crawl up onto the bed to sit on his good side so they could show him the paintings they had made for him.

After a while, they'd been gently ushered out by Frau Schmidt so she could give Georg his breakfast in peace. But the peace hadn't lasted long.

He'd been about to tuck into his food when the door had opened again and Max had sauntered in, before plonking down in the same armchair Fraulein Maria had occupied last night.

"Good morning, Georg!" said Max happily, swiping a bread roll off Georg's breakfast tray.

"Max," said Georg tersely, sipping at his coffee. He cast a glance at the spider that was still on the ceiling and decided that being bored was better than being incapacitated while in the presence of Max Detweiler. "What do you want?"

Max made an affronted face. "I came to visit my dear friend. You know, see how he was doing," he said between mouthfuls of bread, "see if he needed anything."

"Looking for an excuse to borrow my car, you mean?" muttered Georg.

Max shrugged and dusted some crumbs off himself before standing, idly roaming about the room. His eyes landed on the portrait of Agathe on the dresser, but he said nothing. The children had told him all about the two photographs now residing in the nursery. It was...interesting.

He'd actually been spending a fair amount of time the past two days with the children. While in town the other day, he'd managed to secure a brand new puppet stage and puppets for the von Trapp children – all purchased under Georg's name, naturally. Those children had needed a distraction, and if that distraction had the potential of benefiting him, well…

"Georg, I wouldn't dream of it," said Max with a grin. "I was just trying to be helpful."

"There is actually something you may be able to help me with," said Georg slowly, lowering his coffee.

"Yes?"

"I want to get Fraulein Maria a gift of some sort, for her help," he said stiffly.

Max arched an eyebrow. "A gift? For the governess?"

"Yes," Georg said in clipped tones. "You were right." Max bounced on his heels at this and sent him a smug smile. Georg rolled his eyes as he went on, "I behaved terribly towards her and she has been very kind. I want to get her something, but I'm not sure what."

Smirking, Max said airily, "Well, there are the usual things - flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..."

"She isn't Elsa, Max. She's the governess not my, uh-" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Never mind, just forget I said anything."

Max merely shrugged. He knew that Georg's behaviour had been less than desirable towards the little governess, but things had been better – even after he'd chased her out of the house. It irked him somewhat that he hadn't been able to get the full story out of either of them. Whatever had happened, they'd put it aside and behaved liked adults – something that had surprised Max.

The two of them had seemed incapable of acting like adults while in the same room, constantly bickering – in a good natured sort of way – but still, always trying to one up the other. But now, _now_ , things seemed different.

Granted, he'd had little chance to see them interact. But he was on good terms with one of the housemaids and she'd informed him that she had heard no arguments since that night. Max's earlier thoughts on the subject had been a little worrisome, but now they were screaming for his attention.

It could be nothin but then again it could very well be something. We'll just have to wait and see, Max told himself, give it a few days more.

* * *

The next day there was a merry tinkling as the shop door swung open, letting Mathilde Schmidt into the lavish store. She manoeuvred her way around a group of mannequins draped with fine silk until she made it to the counter. A thin, elderly woman with a face like a sharpened axe turned her beady gaze onto her.

"I'm here to pick up a parcel for Captain von Trapp," said Mathilde.

The woman managed to purse her lips even further than they already were, making Mathilde feel like she was speaking to a cat's behind.

"And you are?" came the condescending question.

"I'm his housekeeper, Frau Schmidt – Mathilde Schmidt," replied Mathilde, not in the mood for the shop mistress's games. "I telephone earlier."

With a small jerky nod of the head, the woman disappeared into the backroom behind the counter, leaving the housekeeper alone in the over perfumed shop. It was a couturier for fine women's clothing and the Captain had instructed her to pick up a parcel for him.

The woman returned a moment later and passed a carefully wrapped package towards her.

"I told the Captain that we could make something up for him by tomorrow evening," said the shop mistress with a sniff. "I do not understand why he just wants the fabric."

"It's not a dress?" asked Mathilde, puzzled.

She'd been expecting to pick up dress, something for Baroness Schraeder she had assumed. Why had the Captain wanted just fabric? The last time he'd ordered fabric from town it had been for the gover-

"No," said the woman sharply, clearly appalled at selling unmade garment - but obviously not too appalled that she wasn't happy to accept the same amount of money for it even it had been made. "If he does change his mind, please do bring it in and we can arrange something."

With a quick thank you, the housekeeper left the store and made her way through the cobbled lanes to finish off the rest of her errands.

* * *

"Captain?"

Georg refocused his eyes, trying to act like his mind hadn't been elsewhere. He had been staring at nothing while being lulled by the gentle embrace of Fraulein Maria's voice. He'd made sure to be wearing a shirt this evening; he was not going to conduct a meeting while shirtless again. The last two nights had been excruciating, having her near him while she chatted happily, him half naked.

He didn't care if he was in bed, he would damn well have some sort of decorum. After a painful few minutes of trying to get his arm in the sleeve, he'd made an effort to button his shirt up – though the top few had proven too tricky. But the effort was there.

It was a little unnerving how soothing he found her voice, and he was glad for the shirt as he was sure his heart thudded far too hard inside his ribcage, and that she'd be able to see it struggling to break free and fall into her hands. It was that damn voice of hers. It was the sweetest sound, utterly coaxing and gentle.

The reason he found himself in this situation was because of yesterday evening when she'd come for their nightly meeting and to change the bandage on his arm. She'd been humming some tune he didn't recognise under her breath – it was horribly catchy whatever it was – and she'd explained that the children had been preparing a little play for him. With a stubborn shake of the head, and a happy little shine to her eyes, she'd kept her mouth – that utterly _delicious_ mouth - shut on any other details, saying it was a surprise. But that had started up a conversation about music, which had then turned to poetry and then, before he knew it, she was grabbing one of the books she brought up and flicking through it to read some typically soppy poem she adored.

So, naturally, he'd told her to get a poetry book from his study, one he kept in his desk, and to bring it with her tonight to read from. And now here he was, trying to stop himself from leaning over and scooping her into the bed with him.

He snapped backed to reality. "Yes, Fraulein?" he asked.

"Do you want to sit outside?" asked Maria, placing her finger carefully on the page she'd been reading from. "The sun is about to go down-" She gave him a smile. "I think some fresh air might do you some good."

Fresh air sounded like the best idea Georg had ever heard.

* * *

It was only a short while later that Georg found himself sitting on one of the wicker chairs out on the bedroom balcony, Fraulein Maria nestled in the other. It was so good to be in the fresh air, it was strange how you didn't notice it until you were suddenly confined to your room for three whole days. He could feel it surging through him, bringing him back to life. Tired of sitting, he let himself unfold from the depths of the chair and walk, somewhat stiffly, over to the balustrade.

He cast a glance over at the governess, who had her knees tucked up under her as she rested the small book poems she'd been reading from on one knee. She smiled at him and continued to read from where she'd stopped earlier.

"The air is blue and keen and cold and in a frozen sheath, enrolled. Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass seems clad miraculously with glass.'" Maria paused and let her eyes land on the lake, following the arcing path of a lark as it skimmed over the shimmering water.

"I feel as if I'm seeing it for the first time," said Georg, staring out at the scene in front of him.

It was hard to believe only a few weeks ago he'd been standing down there by the lake with Elsa, taking in the same view as now. Then it had just been scenery, all trees and lake and mountains all blurring into one. But now, everything was sharp and clear. He could smell the sweet scent of summer, hear the buzz of insects as they dipped along with the wind. The sun was setting just behind one of the towering mountains, a soft burst of oranges and pinks blazing across the sky.

"It's a beautiful view," said Maria, a smile curving her lips. She stood up and walked up to the Captain to stand next to him and leant over the balustrade. "The mountains are just so captivating! It makes me want to run to them." She laughed and reached out a hand. "I feel like sometimes I could just reach out and touch them."

"I'm sure you're used to mountains by now," remarked Georg, his eyes leaving the view and focusing on the woman standing next to him. Taking a small step back, he allowed his eyes to linger in places they shouldn't. They noticed the gentle curve of her waist, the way the setting sun glinted off her golden halo of hair and how when she turned to look at him, her eyes lit up ever so slightly.

She scrunched up her nose at him. "It's not like once you've seen one mountain you've seen them all, Captain."

Georg couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "Of course, that would be ridiculous." He gestured to the book as he casually leant against the rail again. "Is there anymore?"

Maria blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the fleeting look that had been in the Captain's eye. He kept looking at her, and it was made shivers run down her spine and the skin on her arms prickle with excited anticipation. It was like when he looked at her, he really saw her. She moved back over to the chair and picked up the poetry book before she returned to the Captain. Leaning her back against the balustrade, she gave the Captain another smile and tried to ignore the way his returning smile made her feel.

"Um," she started, dragging her eyes back to the pages of the little book. "'But in that solemn silence is heard the whisper of every sleeping thing. Look. Look at me. Come wake me up." She felt her eyes lift of the text and find his, and she was sure she felt something akin to fire flare within her. "'For still here I be…'" Maria trailed off; her eyes still locked with his before she hastily turned her face away to stare across at the mountains.

Her stomach felt like it was in knots. What was happening to her? She didn't understand why he was looking at her like that and what it was making her feel. It was frustrating. She couldn't describe it. It made her want to do something but she didn't even know what the something was.

The Captain cleared his throat. "You can retire if you wish, Fraulein. You don't have to stay here with me if you do not wish to."

Forgetting her earlier discomfit, Maria turned back to face him again. "Oh, no, I do want to be here with you." She felt her face go red. "I mean, uh, that is to say I don't mind keeping you company." Taking a deep breath, she added in a calmer voice. "If you want me to leave, you just have to say, Captain, I don't want to keep you."

"No, no, no," said Georg and he couldn't help the sheepish smile that stretched his lips. "It's nice to have someone to talk to, actually." He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the expression on her face. She looked curious, but delighted. It was oddly alluring. Hell, he thought, everything about her was. With an impatient flex of his fingers, he gestured towards his room. "But, I'm sure you must be tired. If you don't mind changing my arm before you go then that'll be all."

"Of course," said Maria.

Walking back into the room, Maria moved across to one of the two doors on the far side of the room. She now knew that the left lead to the Captain's wardrobe and the right one was the bathroom, she pushed through the door on the right.

Yesterday evening, when she had first entered the bathroom, she'd been slightly wowed by the enormity of it. The bathroom in her room was fairly large but this had been something else. It was beautifully tiled, the room gleaming with its white walls and golden faucets. The enormous bathtub on one wall had made her fingers itch; it was at least twice the size of the one in her room. Immediately her face had burned red as to why it was so large, but then that had faded away to be replaced by a sad realisation that this room was built for two, but only used by one.

How hard must it be to get ready every morning and change every night in the same suite that you had once shared with the person you loved? To then sleep in that large bed, all on your own, when you used to have someone else by your side.

It was heartbreaking.

Yet, here was the Captain, trying so hard to put the past behind him and move on.

Grabbing a new roll of bandages and the ointment, Maria hurried out of the bathroom to find the Captain sitting on his bed – his shirt already off – as he waited for her.

Sitting on the edge, as far away as was practical, she slowly removed the old bandage.

"Is it feeling better?" asked Maria, trying to keep her voice casual. It wouldn't matter if she did this a hundred times, she'd never not feel the traitorous blush whenever she looked at his skin. "Frau Schmidt said this morning that it was looking much improved." She peeled the last part of the bandage and took a closer look. "And it certainly does."

"Mmm," muttered the Captain. "It does feel better. I must say, I don't think I need to be stuck in bed. It's only my arm."

Maria just shrugged.

"Thank you, for doing this by the way," said Georg as he felt her small hand on his arm applying the cooling ointment. "It's very kind of you, Fraulein."

"It's no problem, Captain," replied Maria as she continued to work. "It was kind of my fault you were injured in the first place."

There was a low rumble from the Captain and Maria raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. He was smirking at her, still chuckling.

"I'm surprised to hear you admit anything was your fault," he said.

She glared at him, though there was no real malice in it. "I can admit to fault, thank you very much." She raised her chin at him and Georg was half surprised she didn't poke her tongue out at him.

He didn't say anymore and once she was finished, he grabbed his shirt and shrugged back into awkwardly. It was difficult trying to bend his arm and fit it through the sleeve, he could feel the new skin from where the cut was protesting at being stretched.

"Here," said the governess, who had returned from the putting the supplies back in the bathroom. "Let me help."

She gently pushed his arm away and pulled the shirt off him, completely unaware of Georg's reaction. It didn't seem to faze the woman at all that she'd forcibly taken his shirt off, or that was wherever she touched him, his skin burned with a fiery need.

"Put your injured arm in first," she said, her small hand grasping his wrist gently and threading it through. "Now the other arm."

He felt like he'd been frozen in place, or that his whole body had gone limp – well, maybe not all of his body if he was honest. But, he let her pull the shirt on properly before she was buttoning it up.

She finally looked at him and smiled. "There," she said, smoothing his collar down. "That's better. You look so odd without a shirt on."

Georg just raised an eyebrow and watched as her smile faltered and a flush suffused her cheeks.

"Uh," said Maria before she cleared her throat. She dithered, trying to think of something to say. Something safe. "I had to help Gretl get dressed for a week when she sprained her wrist. You have to make sure you put the injured arm in through first or else you just get all tangled up."

"While Gretl may be the youngest, she is still quite cunning," said Georg, letting her earlier comment slide – for now. "She only deliberately did it wrong so you would continue to help her. You always sang her songs and kissed her nose. She's like a cat that child, she just wants attention." He briefly wondered if he could do the same.

The same thought occurred to Maria, who shook it away with a blithe smile.

"Well, still," she said. "It was the least I could do, it was my fault she sprained her wrist."

"Hmm, yes, how many people in my family have been injured due to something you did?" asked Georg, standing up. He hated having her hovering above him. It caused all his brain cells to shut down and just picture him pulling her into his lap.

She huffed at him. "You shouldn't say those kind of things to the person in charge of looking after your injury."

"I suppose not," said Georg. "I actually have something to give you, if you'll just wait a second before you leave."

Ducking into his wardrobe, Georg grabbed the parcel he'd had Frau Schmidt pick up earlier today and came back out, shutting the door behind him.

"This is for you," he said, handing it to her. "A thank you, for your help." He grinned at her. "Better keep you happy lest you injure my other arm, hmm?"

Maria was surprised. A gift? For her?

"Captain, you didn't have to get me anything," she said. "Like I said, I'm happy to be of any help. You're the one that saved my life remember? I can admit that."

Georg didn't need to be reminded. Some of his dreams, or nightmares, had featured that night and what could have happened if he'd had been too late. He didn't deserve her kindness. Certainly not with the way he thought of her. And it wasn't even just the attraction; he felt that he relied on her too much. She'd become too important to him. It was like he disrespecting the memory of Agathe in a way. Or, at least it should have felt like that. But it didn't, somehow.

"No, I should never have frightened you enough to cause you to run away," he said seriously. "And this is certainly not enough to make up for that, but I suppose it's hard to know what to get for a nun-to-be."

Unwrapping the parcel, and sifting through some fine tissue paper, a heap of blue chiffon was revealed. Maria let her fingers run through it, the material slipping through her fingers like water. It was the most beautiful fabric she'd ever laid her hands on. She looked up at the Captain, a disbelieving look on her face.

"You seem to have quite a talent with a needle and thread," said Georg with a dismissive wave of the hand. "I got Frau Schmidt to pick it up for me this afternoon."

"It's lovely, thank you," was all Maria managed to say.

"Well, that'll be all, Fraulein," said the Captain, giving her a curt nod.

Knowing that was her cue to leave, Maria wandered out into the hall, still staring at the parcel in her arms.

Things were getting strange. A week or so ago, she'd felt like her and the Captain had become friends of a sort. And then, since the night he'd been attacked, she thought they had repaired their strange friendship. But with the way her thoughts were going, and the way she felt every time she saw him, she wasn't entirely sure what to think of anything now.

She found herself looking forward to the end of the day and being able to go up and see him. And last night, when he'd asked her to get his own book of poems so she could read it to him, she'd been delighted. Not only because he wanted to spend time with her, but also because he trusted her enough to go into his study without him there. Whatever their relationship had become, Maria considered him a friend, and a dear one at that.

She told herself she was becoming too familiar with him, she needed to take a step back and remember she was the governess. She had to remember that she'd be gone in a little under two months. This made her heart ache; she knew she'd miss those children and she was able to admit that she'd miss their father too – as surprising as that was. But she knew most of all she'd miss the children.

Like with the story she'd told the Captain about Gretl, Maria had known that Gretl had just wanted attention, but the thing was that Maria had thoroughly enjoyed doting on that little girl. It made her heart feel like it would burst with joy anytime Gretl tugged on her dress and asked for Maria to help her with something. It was the purest thing on God's Earth.

It was love. And Maria had no idea how she would ever part from those children, knowing full well she'd be leaving a part of her own heart behind for them to keep.

* * *

 **A/N**

Thank you for all the kind reviews – especially guests since I can't respond to you personally! This chapter was a little tricky and I don't think it flows very well but I'm having some serious writer's block right now so I might come back and edit it at some point. So, I apologise for it being a bit clunky!

Also, I cannot believe this is chapter nine. I wanted this to be like ten chapters but we haven't even reached the puppet show! I hope you all like a slow burn, I guess haha I seem to be bad at doing a fast burn (is that a thing? I'm calling it a thing anyway.)

There are a lot of repurposed BatB scenes in this chapter, so anything remotely clever belongs to Disney.


	10. Bittersweet and Strange

Chapter Ten: Bittersweet and Strange

The soft summer breeze curled its way around Maria's ankles as she made her way up the stone steps of Nonnberg Abbey. As she raised her eyes up to the sky she smiled at the great expanse of bright blue that greeted her. She couldn't believe it had only been a week since she'd last visited the abbey. So much had happened that it felt like it had been months since she'd been back.

As she finally made it to the top and pushed through the large gate, her smile faltered. Last week, she'd been feeling out of place in the sombre halls of Nonnberg. Of course, she'd been delighted to see everyone - particularly Sister Margaretta - however, she'd hadn't really missed anything else about it. But she tried to shake these thoughts as she made her way through the garden that sprawled along the eastern part of the convent. There were a few other postulants and sisters going about their daily task; a few greeted her politely as she passed but apart from that, the rest all ignored her. Which was nothing new. But it managed to bother her just a little bit more than it normally did.

"Oh, Maria!" came a cheerful voice.

Maria turned and spotted Sister Margaretta sitting on a bench down by a large sprawling rose hedge. As she approached, she couldn't help but smile at seeing that reassuring face.

"Hello, Sister Margaretta," said Maria, sitting next to the older woman on the bench. The scent of the roses blew by and Maria felt herself relax in the kind presence of the nun.

"Oh, dear, it is so lovely to see you," said Sister Margaretta, giving her arm a squeeze. "You are looking so well! The air in Aigen must be good for you."

With a nod, Maria said, "Yes, though I do have so much to tell you!"

At the inquisitive look on the nun's face, Maria launched into the whole story about what had happened with the Captain. She had tried leaving out a few details - particularly how she came to be in the attic - but Sister Margaretta had always been something of a mother to Maria and so she hadn't been able to conceal any of the details for very long. And besides, lying was something Maria had never been any good at it. So any concealments certainly didn't last long.

"Goodness, Maria, I am just so relieved that you are all right," said Sister Margaretta, her brow creasing in concern. "We never thought something like this would happen."

"Everything is fine, though!" assured Maria. "The Captain is all better now." Maria couldn't help the affectionate smile that spread across her face. "He was a bit of a grumpy patient at times, but he's doing so well now. He's no longer bedridden - thank the Lord."

Sister Margaretta's brow knitted further. "Patient?"

"Yes, I helped Frau Schmidt with looking after him."

Sister Margaretta was puzzled. Maria had been sent there to look after the children, not the Captain. And while she cared for Maria deeply, the girl had no training in nursing whatsoever - she was more adept at being the patient with her habit of scraping her knees from climbing trees.

"But you don't have any medical training, Maria," said Margaretta gently. "And I did say you were to make sure to take it easy - especially with your headaches."

"Oh, Sister, I've hardly had any headaches at all," said Maria cheerfully. "And it really was no problem helping the Captain. After all, he saved my life."

Sister Margaretta just nodded and managed to smile warmly at the girl. The look on Maria's face was… strange. It seemed every week when she came to visit on her day off, the girl's opinion of Captain von Trapp had changed. At first it had been 'he's a beast' and then 'he's trying not to be a beast' and now? Margaretta gave herself a little mental shake. Maria was young, and this was why the Reverend Mother had wanted her out in the world - she had wanted Maria to be sure this was the path for her.

"Well," said Margaretta carefully, "I still think you should be careful, don't stress yourself out too much, dear. Now, how are your books going?"

And with that, Sister Margaretta listened as Maria spoke of the Captain's library, and how many books he had, and what he liked and what he didn't like (which seemed to be anything Maria liked). And then she was launching into stories about the children, her voice coloured with nothing but fondness and her eyes bright.

* * *

The sun was finally setting as Maria let herself relax against the door to the nursery. After visiting the abbey, she'd returned back to the villa and spent some time sewing - using the lovely fabric the Captain had gifted her the other day. She'd nearly finished it and couldn't wait to wear her new dress. It was such an exciting moment for Maria - having new clothes. Especially clothes made out of such fine material. The rest of the day had been spent reading before she'd gone to put the children to bed. It had taken her a while to get the two youngest children to sleep - she had read at least two fairy tales. They'd been so excited about the puppet show they'd been working on the past few days and couldn't wait to show their father. Maria smiled as she pushed off the door and made her way down the corridor.

Even though it had been her day off, she'd been more than happy to help Frau Schmidt put the children to bed. She knew that the two youngest normally couldn't sleep without being read at least one fairy tale, and Marta had whispered in her ear one night that Maria read them the best. A comment that had both warmed Maria's heart and made it ache with a longing that had frightened her.

She shook her head, trying to banish the creeping feelings of worry. The Captain had finally been declared fit enough to join them all again and so she made her way towards his study. As she took the last step on the grand staircase and crossed the foyer towards the study, she couldn't help but feel a little strange. Even though it had only been for a few days, Maria felt odd going back to his study now. With a polite knock on the door, she pushed the thought out of her head.

"Come in."

Putting his pen down and carefully placing his work aside, Georg watched as Fraulein Maria entered his study and gently shut the door behind her. He saw she had a book tucked under her arm and he couldn't help but let a small smile tug at his lips.

"Good evening, Fraulein," he said with a nod.

It had been utterly tedious catching up on his work all day and he had to admit to being more than glad to see her. It was like as soon as she stepped into the room, he felt all his worries and stresses melt away. Like she was some magical light that chased all the darkness away.

How utterly stupid, he thought.

"Hallo!" said Maria with a large smile as she took the seat across from his desk, carefully placing the book in her lap.

It was strange how much happier she felt in his presence, the Captain was something of a reassuring rock. And seeing him back behind that desk, looking as confident and strong as he had before seemed to settle a worry that had been niggling at her the last few days. But there was another thought that still tried to vie for her attention and it was simply that she had actually enjoyed being in his room while he recovered - as inappropriate as she knew that was. She felt like she had gotten to know a whole different person - well, maybe not - but she'd seen a different side of him. A more relaxed man; who told jokes, and smiled when she read particular passages of poetry.

"Getting away from my children for a day seems to have put you in a good mood," said the Captain with an amused smile, bringing Maria out of her musings.

"Oh, no, Captain! Not at all!" she said hastily. "It was just so lovely to see Sister Margaretta and tell her everything that happened here." She smiled. "I told her about everything the children have been doing - including their little surprise for you tomorrow night."

"Ah, yes."

"Is that still all right?" asked Maria. "Herr Detweiler and Baroness Schraeder are invited too. I know you must be so busy catching up with…" She trailed off, glancing at the documents piled meticulously across his desk. She actually had no idea what it was that he did. "Um, whatever it is you do." The Captain raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing and so Maria continued. "Yes, well, the children have been working so hard and even though you're better now it would mean the world to them."

As she smiled at him with a furiously keen glint to her eye, Georg said, "It sounds wonderful, Fraulein." With a smirk he added, "I'm sure I can take a break from 'whatever it is I do' to attend a little show."

Maria clapped her hands together, ignoring his comment. "They are so excited, we've been practising so much while you've been locked away upstairs."

"Yes," said the Captain slowly. "It is quite refreshing to be out of that room, I do not enjoy being confined to one room all day."

Maria frowned. "Brigitta said you've been in here all day, though."

The Captain glared at her. "By choice, there is a difference."

Maria merely nodded. "Anyway, I need to go return this and grab a few books for tomorrow before I forget," she said, standing up. "The children are all in bed."

"Thank you, Fraulein," said Georg, rising as she did. "You didn't have to do that on your day off."

"It's no trouble," she said, throwing him a smile as she walked through the door to the library.

As if it was the most natural thing, Georg followed her through the door connecting his study to the library and watched as she searched through the shelves of books.

"So, what were you reading to the children tonight?" he asked, lazily spinning a globe on a nearby table.

"'Cinderella'," replied Maria over her shoulder as she slotted the book of fairy tales in place before making her way towards one of the large ladders.

Georg shook his head and tried with all his strength not to roll his eyes. Why did he even ask, of course it would be a ridiculous fairy tale.

"I can practically feel your disapproval, Captain," came the voice of the governess as she stood high on the ladder. She looked down at him from above and laughed. "Something wrong with 'Cinderella', Captain?"

"No, no, no, I just hope you aren't filling my girls heads with any more nonsense," said Georg, watching slightly transfixed as she pushed the ladder across its tracks with the tip of her foot, exposing quite a lot of her leg in the process. He shuddered.

"Nonsense?" said Maria with a scoff, as she searched through the titles in front of her. "What's wrong with a happy ever after? And it's about being good and kind, that cruelty doesn't get you anywhere - it just blinds you."

"There is no such thing as 'happily ever after'.They are just stories, Fraulein. Not real life. "

Maria bit her lip as her brow furrowed in thought. "Well, they shouldn't be!" she declared. "It shouldn't be something that just happens in stories." With a sigh, she gazed up at the ceiling. "Happy ever after should be something anyone could achieve. Everyone wants to be happy. What is so wrong with that?"

The Captain fixed her with that stern, no-nonsense look of his and said, "It's just not logical. There aren't magical wishing trees. Certainly no magic lamps filled with genies ready to grant your every desire. Nor are their princesses sleeping in dark towers waiting to be rescued by some prince."

"I know that, Captain," said Maria with an exasperated sigh. "I just like to believe that there are people that do genuinely want to help others, that do believe in the good fight." She smiled down at him. "Like you."

"Me?"

"Yes," she said. "You're the one that saved my life – the children tell me only heroes do that sort of thing."

"I'm no hero, Fraulein," muttered Georg. "You read far too much nonsense."

Maria had noticed how his normally bright eyes had darkened and she hastened to quell the storm.

"Maybe not like the ones in the stories, Captain," she said, gently dropping down from the ladder and landing in front of him. "But you are to the children." She placed her hand on his arm and gave a small squeeze before drawing it away. "You might not be off rescuing princesses from dragons but you are so important to your children. They love you so much, and I'm sure they'd believe you able of defeating anything."

Georg said nothing, too busy trying to silence the thoughts in his head. It was astounding how much joy Fraulein Maria saw in the world, he wished he could see the world through her eyes. But then again, he sometimes felt like he did. Whenever she spoke, her words seemed to go straight to his heart and nestle there. She had this way of making you believe the world was a better place - that _you_ were a better person. It was as if she casted a spell, bewitching you with her kind words and warm heart.

She gave a happy little sigh as she tilted her head to the side, her lips curving into an affectionate smile. Sometimes - a lot of the time - his mind couldn't help but linger and think about that smile. For it was affectionate, there was no other way to describe it. Georg had seen her smile like that at his children whenever they'd done something she was immensely proud of. He wondered if she was proud of him?

It was such a ridiculous thought - he was a retired naval captain for God's sake. Why should he want her to be proud of him? The question left him a little rattled, his thoughts skittering away like frightened mice. He didn't want to answer that question.

"Well, Captain," said Fraulein Maria breezing past him and heading to another shelf, "whatever you might think, the children think you are truly wonderful." She turned around to face him, her arms holding a few books, and gave him another smile. "Goodnight."

Georg watched her leave, his soft goodnight hanging in the empty library. There was the gentle sound of rain starting to fall outside and he gave himself a mental slap and moved back towards his study. As he came into the room, he found Elsa standing in the middle with her back to him. She looked so out of place, he thought, as he carefully shut the door behind him. Her sparkling evening dress was just too bright, her hair and posture too stiff. It was like he was on the outside looking in for the first time. With a flick of his fingers, he dismissed the thoughts.

"Good evening, Elsa," he said smoothly, walking over to his desk.

Elsa spun around and gave him a delighted smile. "There you are, darling!" She sauntered over to him and leant her hip against the top of his desk. "I am so glad to hear you are free from the confines of your room. I've missed you."

With a tactful step, he made it hard for her to reach for him as he made show of looking through the tomes of books behind his desk.

"I've been awfully busy catching up on work, I do apologise," he said, flicking randomly through a book.

Elsa smiled. "Of course, darling, I understand. How about we go out tomorrow night then? To celebrate your health."

"Ah, well, the children have planned something for tomorrow night," Georg began, but Elsa had stopped listening at the mention of children.

Her smile stayed fixed in place, and she nodded politely. Children, children, children, she thought angrily. What was with him and those children? It was her he was supposed to be lavishing his attention on. Not some damn brats. Elsa realised he was looking at her in question and she tried to maintain her cheery expression.

"Sounds wonderful, darling," she said, giving him a simpering smile. He seemed happy enough with that answer and so she stretched one hand out and gently grasped his arm. "You must let me have you all to myself sometime soon, Georg." With what she hoped sounded like playfulness, and not downright irritation, she added, "You did invite me down here after all."

The man gave her a polite nod and at least had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. Which he should, thought Elsa. He had barely been paying her any attention of late. Granted, he'd been rendered incapable of doing anything. But still, she was his saviour after all.

* * *

 **A/N** Sorry for the long wait on this one. It is a bit short but this was the best place to cut it - the next chapter will be up a lot quicker, I promise!


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